Infineon Technologies is to launch its SLS37 V2X hardware security module (HSM), a plug-and-play security solution for vehicle-to-everything communication (V2X). The module is based on a highly secure, tamper-resistant microcontroller tailored to the security needs of V2X applications within telematics control units. According to the company, its role is to protect the integrity and authenticity of messages, as well as the privacy of the sender. The HSM has received Common Criteria EAL4+ certification, which is expected to become mandatory in European V2X systems.
In a V2X host environment, the discrete HSM helps system integrators solve the conflicting requirements of high performance and high security. Therefore, application of the SLS37 V2X HSM is focused on high-security tasks such as key storage and the generation of signatures for outgoing messages. This, says Infineon, removes the burden of security certification from the host processor, which runs the Linux operating system.
In addition to automotive telematics control units, Infineon says target applications of the SLS37 V2X HSM are roadside units or other infrastructure for V2X communication. The company claims its solution supports all major vehicle credential management systems including SCMS, CCMS and ESPS. It accepts a wide supply voltage range from 1.6-3.6V, comes with a high-speed SPI interface with up to 10MHz and is qualified for harsh automotive applications according to AEC-Q100.
When combined with the company’s complementary host software package, the SLS37 V2X HSM becomes a plug-and-play solution. Rooted in hardware and embedded in a secured and certified manufacturing environment, the personalization concept is claimed to minimize customers’ workload for key management while offering high security during the product lifecycle. The personalization concept reportedly leverages a set of chip-unique and customer-individual certificates and keys for ease of use, enabling vendor verification, pairing and transport protection as well as secured-in-field-updates. As a discrete security controller, SLS37 also provides scalability for platform development covering different regions with different security requirements.
