Fall 2004

Unless indicated otherwise, the CryptoSeminar is being held in the Atwater Kent building on the WPI Worcester campus. The Atwater Kent building is at the intersection of Salisbury Street and the extension of West Street (labeled "Private Way"). See directions to campus.

The talks are 30-45 minutes long and are open to everyone.

Refreshments are usually being served 15 minutes before the talk. There is no fee and no formal registration. If you are attending a Seminar for the first time, a short e-mail to Profs. Berk Sunar or Bill Martin, saying that you would like to attend, would be appreciated.

Elliptic Curves and BMWs, or Why Cars Will Need Embedded IT Security

Prof. Christof Paar, Ruhr University Bochum and WPI
Monday, August 9, 2004, 3pm, Atwater Kent, WPI, Room 108

Abstract

Information technology is the driving force behind innovations in the automotive industry, with perhaps 90% of all innovations in cars based on electronics and software. Up to 80 embedded processors can be found in a high-end car, and electronics & software will soon also be the major single cost factor in car manufacturing. The situation is similar for commercial vehicles such as trucks. One crucial aspect of future IT applications in vehicles is the security of these systems. Whereas software safety is a relatively well established (if not necessarily well understood) field, the protection of automotive IT systems against manipulation has only very recently started to emerge. At the same time, security will be an enabling technology for many - perhaps for most - future automotive IT applications. IT security will both increase reliability & safety, and enable new business models.

In this talk I will give an overview of the different applications within the automotive domain with current and future security needs. After a brief threat analysis, a discussion of the specific problems of integrating embedded security in automotive applications will be presented. The talk concludes with an overview of our activities in this field at eurobits, the European Competence Center for IT-Security in Bochum, Germany.

Maintained by webmaster@wpi.edu
Last modified: Monday, 10-Jan-2005 22:03:34 EST