Acceleration of threat assessment and remediation analysis (TARA) using countermeasures in automotive security
A threat assessment and remediation analysis (TARA) modeling process includes a threat intelligence database, a threat scenario builder and a countermeasure advisor. An item definition is either a vehicle or an electronic control unit (ECU). If a vehicle, its features are extracted and are converted into an input feature vector. If ECU, its parameters are extracted and converted into an input feature vector. The input feature vector is compared to a feature space of the threat intelligence database that includes any number of feature vectors representing potential attack paths of the vehicle or ECU. The feature vectors closest to the input feature vector are matched and these are output as potential threat scenarios. A countermeasure advisor selects an appropriate countermeasure for each matched feature vector using records in the threat intelligence database and outputs each appropriate countermeasure as a new asset. The countermeasures are downloaded to the vehicle during assembly.
1 . A method of performing threat assessment and remediation analysis (TARA) for a vehicle, said method comprising:
inputting a vehicle type as an item definition into a TARA modeling process;
extracting vehicular features from said input vehicle type item definition;
generating an input feature vector based upon said vehicular features;
matching, within a multi-dimensional threat intelligence feature space, said input feature vector to one or more feature vectors representing attack paths stored in a threat intelligence database, based on proximity in the multi-dimensional threat intelligence feature space;
selecting a countermeasure of said threat intelligence database associated with said one or more features vector and inputting said countermeasure as a new asset into said TARA modeling process; and
downloading said countermeasure from a computer of a manufacturer of said vehicle to said vehicle before completion of manufacturing of said vehicle.
2 . The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:
performing said steps of the method during a design phase of said TARA modeling process.
3 . The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:
perform another iteration of said TARA modeling process due to said inputting said countermeasure as a new asset.
4 . The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:
performing said selecting by following a link in the threat intelligence database of the attack path of said one or more feature vectors to said countermeasure.
5 . The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:
performing said selecting by referencing at least one countermeasure in a record of said threat intelligence database that includes said attack path of said one or more feature vectors.
6 . The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:
extracting at least one electronic control unit (ECU) parameter from said input vehicle type item definition; and
generating said input feature vector based upon said vehicular features and said at least one ECU parameter.
7 . A method of performing threat assessment and remediation analysis (TARA) for an electronic control unit (ECU) of a vehicle, said method comprising:
inputting an ECU as an item definition into a TARA modeling process;
extracting ECU parameters from said input ECU item definition;
generating an input feature vector based upon said ECU parameters;
matching, within a multi-dimensional threat intelligence feature space, said input feature vector to one or more feature vectors representing attack paths stored in a threat intelligence database, based on proximity in the multi-dimensional threat intelligence feature space;
selecting a countermeasure of said threat intelligence database associated with said one or more feature vectors and inputting said countermeasure as a new asset into said TARA modeling process; and
downloading said countermeasure from a computer of a manufacturer of said vehicle to said vehicle before completion of manufacturing of said vehicle.
8 . The method as recited in claim 7 further comprising:
performing said steps of the method during a design phase of said TARA modeling process.
9 . The method as recited in claim 7 further comprising:
perform another iteration of said TARA modeling process due to said inputting said countermeasure as a new asset.
10 . The method as recited in claim 7 further comprising:
performing said selecting by following a link in the threat intelligence database of the attack path of said one or more feature vectors to said countermeasure.
11 . The method as recited in claim 7 further comprising:
performing said selecting by referencing at least one countermeasure in a record of said threat intelligence database that includes said attack path of said one or more feature vectors.
12 . A method of performing threat assessment and remediation analysis (TARA) for a vehicle, said method comprising:
inputting a vehicle type as an item definition into a TARA modeling process;
extracting vehicular features from said input vehicle type item definition;
generating an input feature vector based upon said vehicular features;
matching, within a multi-dimensional threat intelligence feature space, said input feature vector to one or more feature vectors representing attack paths stored in a threat intelligence database, based on proximity in the multi-dimensional threat intelligence feature space;
selecting a countermeasure of said threat intelligence database associated with said one or more feature vectors and outputting said countermeasure into a countermeasure database that includes selected countermeasures; and
downloading said countermeasure from a computer of a manufacturer of said vehicle to said vehicle before completion of manufacturing of said vehicle.
13 . The method as recited in claim 12 further comprising:
performing said steps of the method during a design phase of said TARA modeling process.
14 . The method as recited in claim 12 further comprising:
inputting said countermeasure as a new asset into said TARA modeling process; and
performing another iteration of said TARA modeling process due to said inputting said countermeasure as a new asset.
15 . The method as recited in claim 12 further comprising:
performing said selecting by following a link in the threat intelligence database of the attack path of said one or more feature vectors to said countermeasure.
16 . The method as recited in claim 12 wherein said countermeasure database is in a computer of a manufacturer of said vehicle.
17 . The method as recited in claim 12 further comprising:
extracting at least one electronic control unit (ECU) parameter from said input vehicle type item definition; and
generating said input feature vector based upon said vehicular features and said at least one ECU parameter.
18 . The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the multi-dimensional threat intelligence feature space has four or more dimensions.
19 . The method as recited in claim 7 , wherein the multi-dimensional threat intelligence feature space has four or more dimensions.
20 . The method as recited in claim 12 , wherein the multi-dimensional threat intelligence feature space has four or more dimensions.