They use the integrated controller area network or CAN bus to modify the vehicle’s displays, control the breaks
or even stop the engine completely. Checkoway et al. [5], working with the same research group, were able to
prove that some of these cyber-attacks could be done over-the-air without the need for a wired connection. Miller et
al. [6] demonstrated to journalists some of these cyber-attacks on a 2014 Jeep Cherokee. A story that went viral on
social and traditional media outlets. The journalists were surprised and frightened when the attackers were able to
remotely kill the engine while the vehicle was cruising on the highway.
In this thesis, our goal is to ensure the cyber-security of a new vehicular safety system. Cooperative Intelligent
Transport Systems (ITS) (C–ITS) is a new technology that aims to reduce traffic accidents and improve road safety
in general. The technology is based on inter-vehicle communications in the form of safety messages. These
messages can contain information about the vehicle like the position and the current speed or various warnings
about the current traffic condition. This exchanged information could prove critical for the vehicle to insure the safety
of the passengers or surrounding pedestrians. For instance, safety applications can use the received data to warn
the driver about upcoming road works or about the need for an imminent emergency brake. Furthermore, C–ITS
could be used to improve the overall traffic conditions through applications like the cooperative adaptive cruise
control. C–ITS could even reduce traffic jams and contribute to shockwave damping on the highway by providing
the driver with speed advice.
Safety mechanisms in C–ITS are cooperative in nature. Therefore, it is essential to establish interoperability be-
tween different vehicle manufacturers. For instance, vehicles from different brand should use the same communica-
tion technologies and communication formats to ensure the largest possible benefits. Likewise, safety applications
like cooperative adaptive cruise control require a common protocol to function properly. Standardization bodies
could provide a common solution to this problem. The European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) in
Europe and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in the US are pushing unified standards for
common communication protocols and formats. These formats include the type of transmitted messages and their
general modes of operation. Currently, the ETSI and IEEE provide different standards in Europe and the US. Even
though the formats are different, interoperability between the two platform is still possible in the future.
For instance, the ETSI published the Cooperative Awareness Message (CAM) [7] to enable vehicles to share
kinematic information and the Decentralized Environmental Notification Message (DENM) [8] to share warnings.
Whilst the IEEE published the Basic Safety Message (BSM) [9] providing similar functionalities to users. Both these
systems are currently being tested through pre-deployment projects in Europe and the US. As a result, users could
start to benefit soon from C–ITS functionalities.
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