Secure Time-Sensitive Software-Defined Networking in Vehicles

Current designs of future In-Vehicle Networks (IVN) prepare for switched\nEthernet backbones, which can host advanced LAN technologies such as IEEE\nTime-Sensitive Networking (TSN) and Software-Defined Networking (SDN). In this\npaper, we present an integrated Time-Sensitive Software-Defined Networking\n(TSSDN) architecture that simultaneously enables control of synchronous and\nasynchronous real-time and best-effort communication for all IVN traffic\nclasses. Despite the central SDN controller, we can validate that control can\noperate without a delay penalty for TSN traffic, provided protocols are\nproperly mapped. We demonstrate how TSSDN adaptably and reliably enhances\nnetwork security for in-vehicle communication. A systematic investigation of\nthe possible control flow integrations with switched Ether-networks reveals\nthat these strategies allow for shaping the attack surface of a\nsoftware-defined IVN. We discuss embeddings of control flow identifiers on\ndifferent layers, covering the range from a fully exposed mapping to deep\nencapsulation. We experimentally evaluate these strategies in a production\nvehicle, which we map to a modern Ethernet topology. Our findings indicate that\nvisibility of automotive control flows on lower network layers enables\nisolation and access control throughout the network infrastructure. Such a\nTSSDN backbone can establish and survey trust zones within the IVN and reduce\nthe attack surface of connected cars in various attack scenarios.\n