Uber Technologies, Inc.

Gm Cruise Holdings LLC

Uatc, LLC

Other

Christopher Valasek

Charles H Miller

Graziano Giuseppe Misuraca

Charles Miller

Malicious users (or hackers) can take advantage of user devices on or communicably connected to an autonomous vehicle (AV) to gain unauthorized access to AV subsystems (e.g., AV compute system, AV sensors, AV controls system, and AV cabin system). To address this concern, a one-way Ethernet communication link can be placed between the AV subsystems and the user devices. The one-way communication link can physically ensure that the user devices may only receive content from the AV systems, and that the user devices may not send data to the AV systems on the one-way communication link. A feature-limited backchannel that may be normally used for transporting audio data on a daisy-chained bus can be used by the user devices to transmit (8-bit) code words that correspond to specific messages to convey messages back to the AV systems.

One-way segregation of AV subsystems and user devices

There is disclosed an AV, comprising a vehicle motive system comprising hardware to operate the AV; and an AV controller to autonomously or semi-autonomously control the vehicle motive system, the AV controller comprising a hardware platform comprising a processor circuit and a memory, and instructions encoded within the memory to: provide an operating system (OS), including a utility set comprising a plurality of OS utility commands; provide a remote procedure server to accept incoming remote procedure requests from a host outside the AV; provide remote procedure stubs for a set of whitelisted commands, wherein the whitelisted commands comprise a subset of utility commands permissible to run on an AV with a production status; receive an incoming remote procedure request via the remote procedure server; map the incoming remote procedure request to a whitelisted command; and provide the remote procedure request to a remote procedure stub for the whitelisted command.

Secure remote commands to an autonomous vehicle

A secure start system for an autonomous vehicle can include a communications router comprising an input interface to receive a boot-loader to enable network communications with a backend system. The secure start system utilizes a tunnel key from the backend system to establish a private communications session with a backend data vault. The secure start system then retrieves a set of decryption keys from the backend data vault, via the private communications session, to decrypt a plurality of encrypted drives of the autonomous vehicle, which enables one or more functions of the autonomous vehicle.

Secure start system for an autonomous vehicle

The present disclosure provides systems and methods to engage an autonomous mode of an autonomous vehicle. In particular, the systems and methods of the present disclosure can receive login credentials for an autonomous vehicle. A user of the autonomous vehicle can be authenticated based on the login credentials. Responsive to authenticating the user, a secure communication session can be established between the autonomous vehicle and one or more remotely located computing systems. Authorization data for an autonomous mode of the autonomous vehicle can be communicated between the autonomous vehicle and the one or more remotely located computing systems. Responsive to communicating the authorization data for the autonomous mode of the autonomous vehicle, the autonomous mode of the autonomous vehicle can be enabled.

Systems and methods to enable an autonomous mode of an autonomous vehicle

The present disclosure provides systems and methods to boot a computing system of an autonomous vehicle. In particular, the systems and methods of the present disclosure can initialize a basic input output system (BIOS) of a computing system comprising one or more computing devices of an autonomous vehicle. The computing system can utilize data stored in the BIOS and data stored in one or more files comprising a kernel of an operating system of the autonomous vehicle and a random access memory (RAM) drive to verify the kernel and the RAM drive. Responsive to verifying the kernel and the RAM drive, the operating system of the autonomous vehicle can be booted.

Systems and methods to boot a computing system of an autonomous vehicle

A secure start system for an autonomous vehicle (AV) can transmit credentials to an authentication system based on detecting startup of the autonomous vehicle. When the credentials are authenticated the system can receive a tunnel key from the authentication system, and establish, using the tunnel key, a private communications session with a backend vault of the authentication system. The system may then retrieve a verification key and an autonomous key from the backend vault, and verify, using the verification key, that the file system was cryptographically signed by the authentication system, and decrypt the file system using the autonomous key to enable the autonomous mode.

A secure start system for an autonomous vehicle (AV) can include a compute stack and a communications router. The communications router can include an encrypted router drive and an input interface to receive a boot-loader that includes a basic decryption key to decrypt the encrypted router drive and enable network communications with a backend system. The secure start system can utilizes a tunnel key from the backend system to establish a private communications session with a backend data vault, and retrieve a set of decryption keys from the backend data vault, via the private communications session, to decrypt a plurality of encrypted drives of the AV.

A secure start system for an autonomous vehicle (AV) can detect startup of the AV and transmit credentials to a backend system. When the credentials are authenticated, the secure start system can receive a tunnel key from the backend system. Using the tunnel key, the secure start system can establish a private communications session with a backend vault of the backend system and retrieve a set of decryption keys from the backend vault. Using the set of decryption keys, the secure start system can verify and decrypt a cryptographically signed, encrypted, and compressed file system for execution by a compute stack of the AV&#x2014;where execution of the file system by the compute stack enables autonomous operation of the AV.

A method for detecting threats or attacks on an automobile network, the automobile network connected to a plurality of electronic components and an attack monitoring unit including a processor, the method including: monitoring, by the processor of the attack monitoring unit, data messages transmitted on the automobile network; determining, by the processor of the attack monitoring unit, whether at least one data message among the data messages transmitted on the mobile network is a threat to one or more of the plurality of electronic components on the automobile network; and when it is determined, by the processor, that the at least one data message is a threat, performing at least one action based on the threat.

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Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America

Christopher Valasek