AUTOCRYPT, Author at AUTOCRYPT

14 May, 2021 . 6 mins read

V2N, the Game Changer for Mobility

In a previous article DSRC vs. C-V2X: A Detailed Comparison of the 2 Types of V2X Technologies, we explained the differences between DSRC and C-V2X. We mentioned that since these two technologies rely on different wireless communication protocols, there has been no controlled side-by-side comparison on their efficacy. Despite so, based on their real-world usage today, the consensus is that both DSRC and C-V2X are fully capable of direct V2X communication.

However, industry policymakers, infrastructure developers, along with automotive manufacturers, are still racing towards C-V2X deployment even though DSRC is a more mature technology that has already undergone all testing stages. The reason for favoring C-V2X, as we stated last time, is that despite both technologies having similar capabilities today, it is unlikely to remain so in the future. Those in favor of C-V2X argue that the technology provides more room for future improvements and will eventually be much more useful than DSRC.

Hence, in this article, we will explain what exactly the potentials of C-V2X are, starting with the table below:

On the right side of the table, we can see that C-V2X can be broken down into two different modes. The first is direct C-V2X mode. Utilizing the PC5 interface, direct C-V2X is based on unicast communication and operates under the same mechanism as DSRC does. In other words, it enables a vehicle to directly send and receive wireless messages to and from other vehicles and roadside units, given that they are within a certain distance. This kind of unicast communication is what V2X was originally meant for.

All the potentials of C-V2X lie in its second mode, V2N (vehicle-to-network) mode. V2N utilizes a network communications interface called the Uu interface, which essentially enables broadcast communication via existing cellular mobile networks. The ability to connect to the mobile network is a crucial feature that WLAN-based DSRC technology cannot provide. The illustration below shows how direct C-V2X and V2N work together.

Despite all the potentials, V2N technology is not ready for deployment until around 2025. Without V2N, direct C-V2X and DSRC are very comparable in the meantime. Thus, many automakers still choose to implement DSRC in the short run given all the sunk cost invested into the technology.

Nevertheless, key industry players are developing C-V2X to keep themselves prepared for the game-changing potentials of V2N, because broadcast communication will certainly take mobility to the next level.

V2N and Its Potential Benefits

Direct V2X technology – both DSRC and direct C-V2X – is quite capable of ensuring a safe and seamless autonomous driving experience. Then why do we still want to connect vehicles to the mobile network? Skeptics believe that V2N is the result of mobile network operators lobbying policymakers to secure themselves a new revenue source. This is undeniably one of the driven forces for V2N, but there are also many other positive reasons for adopting V2N.

Easy and cheap implementation. Implementing V2N is not difficult. Since V2N operates via cellular mobile networks, a large part of the physical infrastructure is readily available. Most urban areas already have LTE-capable cell towers and are slowly upgrading into 5G infrastructure. If we need the very same technology to provide internet connections for smartphones and IoT, we might as well just use it for vehicles – there is very little reason to not use a technology that is readily available. Additionally, adopting V2N is relatively cheap because both the PC5 and Uu interface can be easily combined into a single C-V2X chipset. Therefore, automotive OEMs and infrastructure developers do not need to spend extra to enable both modes.

Smoother traffic. Cooperative Intelligent Transportation Systems (C-ITS) rely on real-time data sharing to make traveling on the road safe and seamless. When all cars are connected to a mobile network, it becomes easier for C-ITS to provide timely and reliable information about traffic conditions and road hazards. For instance, under DSRC or direct C-V2X, cars will only receive information on the approach of an ambulance when it approaches within a few hundred meters. This may not be a sufficient distance to ensure every vehicle gets out of the way in time, especially under heavy traffic. However, when all vehicles are connected to the mobile network, the entire traffic can prepare for emergency situations well ahead of time.

More powerful route planning. Again, since DSRC and direct C-V2X only allow a vehicle to communicate with nearby units that are within a “relevant” distance of usually 300 to 500 meters, it cannot foresee situations beyond this limit. Even though this distance is sufficient to ensure a safe and smooth experience at the current moment, it does not help interactive route planning because it is not possible to project the traffic flow on the roads far ahead. V2N can help autonomous vehicles to plan well ahead of time and choose optimized routes based not only on real-time traffic information, but also based on projected future traffic from the planned routes of other vehicles.

Economies of Scale. V2N enables the collection of vehicle and traffic data into cloud servers. Having such enormous panel data is especially helpful for road infrastructure improvement. After machine learning, AI-generated predictive models can be used to calculate optimized solutions for adjusting the lengths of traffic lights based on time of day or variating speed limits based on weather condition. The big data also open a world of new opportunities and business models that can be integrated with the in-vehicle infotainment system, along with other possible features such as interactive parking, wireless car payment, and more.

Faster speeds. Since C-V2X is upgradable into 5G and 5G NR protocols, V2N will always be on par with the latest and fastest internet speeds available. Clearly, the speed of communication is a very crucial factor in autonomous driving safety. 5G and 5G NR chipsets will also allow vehicles to communicate with smartphones in a timely manner, truly enabling V2P (vehicle-to-pedestrian) communication, which would remarkably improve pedestrian safety and save millions of lives.

AutoCrypt V2X, the Foundation for the Future of V2N

Whether it be DSRC or C-V2X, cybersecurity is the foundation that keeps these technologies evolving. As V2N connects the entire world of traffic via the cellular mobile network, the industry is expected to face unprecedented cybersecurity threats. AUTOCRYPT takes this threat very seriously. AutoCrypt V2X has been working with OEMs and smart infrastructure projects around the world. With profound expertise in encryption and PKI technology, it plays a crucial role in building a safe environment for V2N.

To keep informed with the latest news on mobility tech and automotive cybersecurity, subscribe to AUTOCRYPT’s newsletter.

21 April, 2021 . 6 mins read

When Last Mile Delivery Turns Autonomous – What are the Considerations?

As more of our lives becomes connected to networks and online services, we are finding that previously labor-intensive tasks like getting groceries or using public transportation are becoming streamlined as reservations and payments can be made online, even bringing items to your front door. But with increased connectivity comes greater expectations for faster, efficient, affordable, and secure services and deliveries.

The delivery process may seem straightforward – order your product, the seller arranges products for delivery, and the delivery service brings it to you – the actual process of getting the many different products with different supply chains together in one place, then arrange the transport going from the hub to the final destination. This portion of the trip is called “last-mile delivery” as it’s one of the trickiest parts of the supply chain process. Not only is last mile delivery the part that we as consumers often care the most about, last mile delivery accounts for around 53% of the total cost of shipping and sellers are taking less of a cut as supply chains struggle to meet demand and deadlines.

(Source: EFT)

Last mile deliveries are often inefficient because of the sheer volume of deliveries necessary with a low drop size. This means that efficiency is virtually impossible with retail sales only going up, especially with a global pandemic.

Taking care of the last-mile challenge

The supply chain management industry experts have been looking for solutions to this dilemma. Many have pointed to models that utilize digital platforms to crowdsource local services to ensure that consumers are able to get what they need. Instead of manually dispatching delivery people to make the trip, platforms will utilize machine learning and AI to quicken this process.

Another solution that many companies are already cashing in on is the concept of autonomous delivery technology, with the market expected to reach 84.72 billion USD by 2030. In order to make last-mile deliveries more efficient and truly door-to-door, development has been focused on autonomous pods, which can navigate more difficult and uneven terrain to ensure completion of delivery.

Smaller pods focus on small, dynamic designs to ensure efficiency in last-mile delivery. This allows for reduced costs in the delivery pod itself, as well as increased security as the vehicles do not actually carry human beings, allowing for more focus on the actual delivery and of the safety of those around them. Especially with the global pandemic, solutions like autonomous delivery allow for contactless service, without driving up costs. Analysts at McKinsey found that semiautonomous and autonomous technology reduce delivery costs on average by approximately 10 to 40 percent.

Autonomous delivery challenges

We can already see this crowdsourcing model mentioned in the previous section in the real world, prevalent in industries like transportation (think ride-hailing apps), food delivery, and retail apps. But this solution isn’t without challenges of its own, as local services still have a high maintenance cost, and with actual human drivers, there’s likely going to be a larger margin of error and limitations.

This is why tech industry experts say that long-term, autonomous driving technology is the answer. Autonomous vehicle technology has made great headway in the last decade – from the testbeds to public roadways — and while use cases are moving from theoretical plans to reality, there’s still a lot of doubt and logistical issues when it comes to application.

Technology and infrastructure limitations

While there are some companies who have gotten the autonomous delivery robot/pod concept to real-world application, there’s still a lot at risk in terms of how the technology works. Passenger vehicles have yet to be at a Level 4 of autonomous driving (according to the SAE regulations), so it’s not completely realistic to expect autonomous pods to be at this level. We need to be careful to ensure that the priority is placed in keeping human beings (pedestrians and vehicle passengers) safe when pods are navigating through streets.

While the technology is being developed, we also must remember that technology can’t be the only thing to change. Cities also need to ensure that current infrastructure supports the autonomous delivery movement, for example, making sure that roads are paved properly and that any obstacles like potholes or cracks are quickly repaired.

Lack of universal standards and liability regulations

To deal with the infrastructure challenges mentioned in the earlier section, there needs to be universal regulations that allow for both services and end users to use services more effortlessly across state or even country-lines.

In countries like the United States where there are differing federal and state regulations, using mobility services like last-mile deliveries with autonomous technologies can be a challenge. For example, in the state of Pennsylvania, autonomous delivery bots are allowed to maneuver their way through sidewalks as well as roadways. They are technically considered “pedestrians” meaning that the bots can move at a maximum speed of 12 miles per hour in a pedestrian area with a load limit of 550 pounds. This isn’t true for all states as some have no regulations regarding delivery systems like this, while others require permits to be issued by the state.

These technicalities can make a major difference when it comes to not only service operations, but also liability frameworks in the case of an accident. As autonomous technology has not yet been perfected, there is risk when it comes to operation no matter how safe the company deems it. A universal standard or regulation will allow for the risk to be minimized, as much as possible.

Risks of security breach

Because of the groundbreaking nature of this technology, many often focus on the issues surrounding the technology itself. However, we must remember that this technology is connected in nature, meaning that thousands of messages containing data are being exchanged each second in each vehicle. With data like PII, vehicle data, as well as access points to connected devices, a successful breach can be a goldmine for malicious actors.

While autonomous delivery vehicles like pods or robots do not carry any passengers, the personal data that they carry, their operations on pedestrian sidewalks, as well as the close nature of door-to-door delivery still carries implications that we must consider before application.

Short and long-term solutions for autonomous delivery

The technology for autonomous delivery bots will continue to progress. But how quickly this happens depends on other factors. In the long run, standards and regulations will have to be made by legislators and committees, which will influence new infrastructure that will enable this kind of technology to have more widespread adoption.

In the short-term, however, both manufacturers of these pods as well as service providers can prioritize security like authentication and encryption, ensuring that the data stays private. Security solutions can be built into the chipsets in the manufacturing stage, protecting data privacy before vehicles, and pods, hit the road. Solutions like these can ensure that vehicles of all sizes protect not just the items carried inside, but also those around them.

12 April, 2021 . 6 mins read

What is the Security Credential Management System?

We all know that vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication constitutes the core of autonomous driving. By enabling vehicles and infrastructure to share live information, a safe and seamless autonomous mobility experience can be accomplished. But how exactly does the information sharing process work?

Just like how we communicate with each other via text messages, vehicles communicate with nearby entities by transmitting basic safety messages (BSM) between one another. However, different from us sending text messages, vehicles can send, receive, and process thousands of messages per minute. Every BSM a vehicle sends out contains the current time, along with the vehicle’s speed, location, direction, path, and other safety-related information. The vehicle that receives the BSM will use such information to determine whether it should change its speed and direction, or simply just send an alert to the driver. Despite seeming like a lot of work, this process is totally seamless, where hundreds of BSMs are sent, received, processed, and acted upon within each second.

Sounds easy? While the concept of V2X communication may seem very straightforward, we must figure out how to keep these communications perfectly accurate and effective. A failed, inaccurate, or miscommunicated text message is not usually a great deal. But a failed BSM is a matter of life and death. In fact, it would be fair to say that only 10% of the V2X communication technology is about communication itself, while the rest 90% is about ensuring that these communications are flawless and secure.

The Role of the Security Credential Management System (SCMS)

The Security Credential Management System (SCMS) is a proof-of-concept (POC) security solution for V2X communication. Despite the fancy name, it is essentially a public key infrastructure (PKI) designed to secure V2X messages – in this case – the BSMs. The POC has been officially adopted as a protocol by the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) and became an industry standard for all providers of PKI-based V2X security solutions, including AUTOCRYPT.

Just like typical PKIs, the main purpose of the SCMS is to ensure trusted communication by securing the message. This involves a three-step process: certificate issuance, encryption, and certificate-based authentication. In simple terms, the SCMS needs to first ensure that the message sender is a legally registered entity, then encrypt the drafted message, after which from the receiver’s side, it needs to ensure that the message is truly the original message and that it has not been altered during transmission. Nevertheless, there are still two major differences between the SCMS and traditional PKIs.

The first difference is capacity. A single SCMS can issue up to 300 billion certificates per year, enough to support up to 300 million vehicles. On the other hand, the largest PKI to date is the Europay-Mastercard-Visa Consortium (EMVCo), which is only capable of issuing less than 10 billion certificates per year.

The second difference is that the SCMS faces a much more demanding situation. PKIs used for financial transactions have one sole purpose of ensuring security. Yet, the SCMS must excel in both security and efficiency, two attributes that are usually viewed as tradeoffs.

How Does the SCMS Work?

When a connected vehicle wants to join the V2X network, it must first send its registration request to the SCMS. After approving the request, the SCMS issues an enrolment certificate to the vehicle. The enrolment certificate acts as the ID for the vehicle, proving itself as an authorized participant.

Now that the vehicle is enrolled to send and receive messages. The SCMS still faces the task of securing the message. In this process, it needs to issue and manage several authorization certificates. Before sending out a message, the on-board unit (OBU) must receive an identification certificate. This certificate acts as a digital signature that gets attached to the message. To protect the privacy of the driver, the identification certificate is encrypted and turned into a pseudonym certificate that does not reveal the identity of the vehicle owner.

Before the receiver opens the message, the SCMS compares the sender’s digital signature with a list of previously revoked signatures to ensure that the signature is currently valid. After passing all verifications, the message is given to the receiver to process.

Other entities like roadside infrastructure also undergo the same process before sending a message. Roadside units (RSU) receive application certificates that are equivalent to the identification certificates of OBUs. However, in this case, there is no need to transform them into pseudonym certificates.

security credential management system chart

Why is the SCMS Useful for V2X Security?

Ensuring data integrity. In the V2X communication process, it is crucial to ensure that the message transmitted is not altered by any third party. Since the SCMS seals the messages with digital signatures, then verifies the signature upon receival. There is no endpoint for malicious actors to manipulate the message.

Ensuring data authenticity. Since an identity certificate is issued every time before a sender sends a message, there is no potential loophole for a threat actor to send fake messages in the identity of someone else.

Ensuring privacy. As mentioned above, the identity certificate issued to an OBU is encrypted into a pseudonym certificate. On top of that, the message itself only contains information on the vehicle’s condition and behaviour but not the vehicle’s identity. This makes it nearly impossible to trace the message back to the sender vehicle’s owner.

Ensuring interoperability. Instead of having V2X security providers developing their own set of mechanisms, the SCMS acts as a protocol that ensures all the developed solutions are interoperable with one another. This is a key benefit because interoperability is crucial to V2X communication.

Revocation. Different from traditional PKIs, the SCMS keeps a record of all revoked devices that had been reported with misbehaving, malfunctioning, or even malicious actions. The record helps prevent the same threats from reoccurring, significantly lowering the risks associated with the system.

AutoCrypt V2X, Securing Autonomous Driving with Decades of Experience in PKI

The SCMS protocol is complemented by a few other industry standards to ensure the deployment of secure and efficient PKIs for the V2X network. As such, AutoCrypt PKI is not only designed based on the SCMS, but also is in line with the Crash Avoidance Metrics Partners (CAMP) and the Cooperative ITS Credential Management System (CCMS). Combining AutoCrypt PKI with the software development kit installed locally into the OBUs, along with AutoCrypt LCM, the local certificate manager in charge of message encryption, AutoCrypt V2X is the most complete solution for autonomous driving.

To keep informed with the latest news on mobility tech and automotive cybersecurity, subscribe to AUTOCRYPT’s monthly newsletter.

26 March, 2021 . 8 mins read

Top 7 Smart Cities and Their ITS Achievements

The Challenge of Megacities

As the fourth industrial revolution continues to transform the global economy, people around the world are flocking to cities in the seemingly never-ending urbanization trend. Apart from global cities like New York and London, nearly every regional population center around the world is experiencing population growth, forcing these cities to expand into nearby suburbs by building new roads and infrastructure.

Consequently, the problem with expanding outwards is that these cities become so large, forcing their residents to travel long distances on a daily basis – not just for work, but also for social gatherings, shopping, and recreational activities. This puts significant strain on roads and highways, leading to constant traffic jams and frequent accidents.

Many suggest public transportation as a solution. Indeed, well-operated subway and buses may be convenient for inner-city travel, but for a megacity with a dozen satellite cities surrounding the core, building public transportation becomes expensive, and usually takes decades of construction. Moreover, let us be honest, a 20-station subway ride might not necessarily be a better alternative to being stuck in traffic.

Hence, we should not blindly blame the municipal governments for not building more subway lines, expecting public transportation to solve all problems. Even though public transportation is great for short to medium distance travel, but for long-distance trips, we must address the problem at its roots: to improve roads and infrastructure.

Smart City and the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS)

Improving roads does not simply mean adding additional lanes, because wide roads and highways can lead to excessive lane hopping and cause even more delays. Thus, instead of making wider roads, a better alternative would be to make smarter roads.

Building smarter roads has become a crucial project for smart cities. That is, to build roads and transportation infrastructure that collect data generated from daily traffic, then analyze and learn these data to improve the usability, effectiveness, and accessibility of the roads and infrastructure. These smart roads and infrastructure are collectively called the intelligent transportation system (ITS).

In this article, we will look at a list of smart cities in the world and their special contributions and achievements in advancing the ITS.

Hong Kong

Hong Kong has long been a global financial center and transportation hub that sits at the center of the Asia-Pacific region. Despite having more than 7 million residents, the city had very limited land for suburban expansion due to its administrative and physical geography. This forced the city to build a sophisticated network of roads and highways, with roughly 800,000 registered vehicles sharing over 2,000 km of road – nearly 400 vehicles for every kilometer. Due to such pressure, Hong Kong became one of the first cities in the world to adopt an Area Traffic Control (ATC) system. The system uses CCTVs installed at signalized intersections to provide real-time information on traffic flow. The traffic controllers then analyze such information to gain insights on where accidents frequently occur and adjust traffic signal lengths optimized for both motorists and pedestrians.

Sydney

Like Hong Kong’s ATC system, the capital of the Australian state of New South Wales has gone a step further by developing an Adaptive Traffic Signal Control (ATSC) system that is capable of adapting to the real-time situation. Patented and owned by New South Wales, the system is hence named the Sydney Coordinate Adaptive Traffic System (SCATS). SCATS adjusts the timings of green and red signals based on the real-time traffic flow of each direction. Hence instead of having fixed time durations for each signal, an optimized duration is calculated in real-time using the data collected by CCTVs as well as sensors built into the ground. Apart from New South Wales, SCATS is currently installed in almost all signalized traffic intersections in Australia, as well as over 55,000 intersections across 187 cities and 28 countries worldwide.

Singapore

As a city-state, Singapore’s issue is very similar to that of Hong Kong. With over 5.7 million residents living in a land area of only two-thirds of that of Hong Kong, the city’s government had no choice but to discourage personal vehicle ownership by enforcing a 100% import tariff and additional registration fees that bring the cost up to three to four times the market value. Nevertheless, Singapore has also adopted a sophisticated ITS in more recent years. To manage the ITS, the city introduced i-Transport, an integrated platform that stores and manages raw data collected from the traffic sensors. Its major role is to analyze these data into useful information to help road development and planning. The i-Transport platform has enabled a variety of useful services, including the Parking Guidance System (PGS). The PGS collects real-time information on leftover parking spots in nearby parking lots and displays this information on large digital information panels on the roadside so that drivers can easily find the nearest parking lot without having to circle around downtown streets looking for available parking space. As Singapore’s ITS continues to make its roads smarter, hopefully, the government will be able to slowly relieve the astronomical costs of purchasing cars.

Las Vegas

Cities in North America face a very different problem than that of Hong Kong and Singapore. Since most cities have plenty of space surrounding them for urban expansion, a North American “city” is usually a large metropolitan area that interconnects dozens of cities and towns. To put it in perspective, despite San Francisco proper being home to only 900,000 residents, nearly 5 million people live in its metropolitan area. Since these cities are bigger, their local streets tend to be less crowded. However, the highways that go through them face constant congestion, especially when a highway acts as both the inner-city highway and the interstate highway, like the Ontario 401 – the busiest highway on the continent. The biggest problem for American highways is that they have too many lanes. Las Vegas has an interesting solution to organize traffic on these highways. Its Active Traffic Management (ATM) system consists of large, high-resolution digital panels on top of the highways. The system uses cameras and sensors to collect big data and analyze them so that they can accurately estimate traffic conditions and travel times for each individual lane. It then displays the average speed ahead for each individual lane, as well as putting an “X” above lanes that are closed ahead due to traffic accidents or constructions. The ATM system helps drivers make informed decisions on which lanes to use and when to switch lanes without having to blindly change lanes back and forth.

New York

With over 20 million residents in its metropolitan area, New York City is by far the most populous urban center of the United States. This has pushed the Big Apple to develop an ITS that focuses on smoothing traffic. Recently, New York City signed a contract with Transition Networks, an IoT manufacturer, to add internet connections to the cameras and sensors of over 10,000 signalized traffic intersections across the city. These connected devices allow for centralized management and remote maintenance, reducing the need for any physical workers to be present on site.

Barcelona

Barcelona has been a leader of smart city transformation in Europe. Over the past decade, all the streetlights in Barcelona have been replaced by an LED-based lighting system. The system can automatically adjust its brightness and angle based on environmental information like temperature, humidity, pollution, and visibility. It is also capable of detecting noise so that the lamps can switch on and off depending on the existence of pedestrians. Not only does this new lighting system save energy, but it also reduces the heat generated by conventional lamps.

Jeju

This island city of South Korea is one of the world’s pioneers in developing a Cooperative Intelligent Transport System (C-ITS). Different from ITS, which uses collected data to provide useful information, a C-ITS involves real-time exchange of information between roads, infrastructure, and the vehicles themselves, making it a crucial part of the autonomous driving experience. The city has also introduced a number of C-ITS devices that can be installed into cars, providing drivers with real-time information on the roads ahead, warning drivers on emergency vehicles passing by, road closure, and even slippery road conditions (based on data collected from other vehicles). To learn more about C-ITS, read: 7 Major Functions of Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems.

AutoCrypt V2X, Securing Data for C-ITS

As advancements in automotive technology bring us connected cars and autonomous driving. smart cities are taking a step further to develop C-ITS with the goal of establishing a safe and seamless experience of connectivity on the road. Yet, autonomous driving has also brought us a new challenge; since data involved in C-ITS directly impact vehicle behaviour, they must be safely guarded against manipulation and theft.

This is one of the main reasons AUTOCRYPT was founded. As a built-in software development kit, AutoCrypt V2X uses sophisticated encryption and authentication technologies to ensure that all V2X-enabled units are verified and all data in transmission are safely protected.

To keep informed with the latest news on mobility tech and automotive cybersecurity, subscribe to AUTOCRYPT’s monthly newsletter.

19 March, 2021 . 2 mins read

AUTOCRYPT Teams Up with Foxconn’s MIH Alliance as Security Partner

SEOUL, KOREA – Leading EV and autonomous vehicle cybersecurity provider AUTOCRYPT announced that the company had officially joined the MIH Alliance, an open platform for electric vehicles (EVs) established by Foxconn Technology Group.

The growing numbers of EVs on the market as well as EV software/hardware in development point to a need for corporations to work together in order to expedite technological advances. This led Foxconn to establish the MIH Alliance in October 2020, promoting real-time research and development as well as prioritizing vehicular security and safety. Especially with the recent implementation of WP.29 regulations requiring cybersecurity type approval in all new vehicles by July 2022, AUTOCRYPT’s security solutions and its team of experienced cybersecurity specialists allow for a comprehensive, holistic approach to secure EVs as well as connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) through its in-vehicle security technology and security operations center (SOC).

President of AUTOCRYPT North America, Sean HJ Cho stated, “We look forward to actively participating in the alliance as a security partner. While the technological advances in the automotive industry are astounding, security is often an afterthought. AUTOCRYPT’s contributions to the alliance can bring to light the need for security to be first, ensuring that drivers and passengers of EVs and CAVs can be assured that their vehicle, surrounding infrastructure, and data are not at risk.”

AUTOCRYPT’s in-vehicle security solution has been optimized for automotive communication protocols, and through its Intrusion Detection System (IDS), provides security modules to guarantee secure communications between the many ECUs in a connected vehicle and the CAN bus. The SOC functions as a round-the-clock monitor with real-time collection and detection logs, identification based on machine-learning, as well as policy and OTA updates. The solution ensures a safe and secure vehicular environment, blocking all abnormal activity. Ideal for OEMs, Tier-1 suppliers, as well as mobility-based service providers, AUTOCRYPT’s offerings span the entire automotive lifecycle.

2 March, 2021 . 2 mins read

V2X Security Provider AUTOCRYPT Closes Series A Funding Round with 15M USD, Opens North American Office

TORONTO, CANADA — AUTOCRYPT Co., Ltd., a leading autonomous driving security solutions provider, raised nearly 13 million in a Series A funding round, bringing the total to 15M raised in 2020. Backers included major Korean investors KB Investment, Pathfinder H, Ulmus Investment, Korea Asset, Hyundai Venture Investment Corp., and IBK.

Led by CEO and co-Founder, Daniel ES Kim, AUTOCRYPT has garnered the attention of the automotive industry, providing end-to-end vehicle security for connected and autonomous vehicles and surrounding infrastructure. The company currently secures all smart roadways and highways in South Korea, totaling over 5000 kilometers. Kim stated that with the funding, “AUTOCRYPT plans not only on enhancing V2X security technology but also in expanding security operations into more Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) projects.” He continued, “We are confident that this investment validates the quality of what we have developed and will allow us to continue prioritizing security in connected and autonomous vehicles.”

Due to a rising demand in autonomous and electric vehicle security technology, AUTOCRYPT also announced the opening of its North American office, located in Toronto, Canada. The new branch will allow for AUTOCRYPT’s V2X and Plug&Charge security solutions to be more widely accessible to testbeds, OEMs, Tier-1 suppliers, and automotive software or service providers located in North America. The company is currently in talks with potential partners in the region and plans to begin active business operations in Q2. With its offices now in South Korea, China, Japan and Canada, AUTOCRYPT is also planning to expand into the United States and Europe in 2021.

For more information, contact global@autocrypt.io

Update (January 5, 2022): After closing the $15-million Series A funding round in late 2020, AUTOCRYPT has since opened offices in the United States and Germany. It recently opened its Series B financing round, opening up opportunities to investors worldwide.