Summary

In this chapter, we surveyed the various types of E/E architectures, their respective networking technologies, and the various sensors, actuators, and control units that make it possible for the vehicle to perform its functions. This deep dive gave us a solid base for understanding how automotive electronic systems are built, which is essential when exploring how they can be forced to fail through malicious attacks. In discussing each layer of the architecture, we shed some light on the assets that are worthy of protection and the consequences of a successful attack. While this chapter has given us a good basis for what needs to be protected, we should be aware that E/E architectures are constantly evolving, which makes the attack surface a constant variable. Nevertheless, the fundamentals we learned here should enable us to adapt to those changes as we encounter new attack surfaces and threats.

In the next chapter, we will review the fundamental security concepts, methods, and techniques necessary for analyzing and securing our automotive systems.