Advances in Blockchain could contribute to automotive cyber security
The Lightning Network could make a real contribution to automotive cyber security, whether planes, trains or any vehicle the potential for blockchain technology to have a role is being explored across the globe. Mercedes and BMW have both recently advertised roles to explore its potential.
Whilst a distributed, decentralised and dis-intermediated network is fantastic for security and well understood in the context of an open ledger, it depends on the number of nodes; the more nodes the better the potential security is.
Concerns have thus far been raised as to the overhead for blockchain maintenance in terms of processing, energy consumption and data storage requirements. Lightning maybe a game changer – Lightning-fast blockchain token exchange without worrying about block confirmation times. Security is enforced by blockchain smart-contracts without creating a on-blockchain transaction for individual payments. Payment speed measured in milliseconds to seconds!
By transacting and settling off-blockchain, the Lightning Network potentially allows for exceptionally low overhead, which allows for emerging use cases such as instant micro-token exchanges. As a result, it is possible to conduct transactions off-blockchain without limitations. Transactions can be made off-chain with confidence of on-blockchain enforceability.
There are millions of connected vehicles across the globe, each one a potential node. Each vehicle has an increasing number of ECU nodes onboard, so the potential for a super-secure decentralised and distributed network is clear. Lighting could make this possible.
As vehicles interact with Intelligence Transport Systems and increase their off-board processing capability as well as exploiting Transport Telematics, the necessity for trusted (authenticated) network participants with trusted traffic-data and content (integrity) whilst respecting privacy (controlling its’ availability) will make a significant contribution to a public acceptance test for autonomous systems. Add in an audit record and you are starting to construct a secure environment. When you factor in over-the-air software and firmware updates and counterfeit hardware countermeasures, prognostics , diagnostics and service schedules with the need for any vehicle to interact with services (e.g. EV recharge, motor lubricants and even insurance and smart tolling) you have a potential new eco-system. A market where the vehicle user has a stake and a commodity to exchange value with both humans and machines.
Additionally the token could be a safety critical token and a millisecond exchange starts to make blockchain technology a possibility for high integrity systems where fail-operational, fail-safe now must include fail-secure.
EP90group Ltd is actively researching smart contract blockchain deployments in vehicles, interested? get in touch – info@ep90group.co.uk .