Telefónica and DEKRA recently presented a 5G cybersecurity demonstrator applied to connected mobility that can make vehicular communications more effective, reliable and secure by using 5G and cryptographic technology.
In this initiative, in which CTAG (Automotive Technology Centre of Galicia), Harman, Nexus, HPE, Telefónica Tech and Telefónica España-Digital Security have also taken part, it’s essential for the different elements of mobility, vehicles, traffic lights and tunnels to be connected to 5G network so that they can work collaboratively, exchanging information and warnings to increase road safety and, consequently, reduce accident rates. As the quality of this information becomes critical, this use case adds security certificates to the communications that ensure the authenticity and integrity of the messages that are exchanged to prevent unlawful data that could pose a risk to people’s integrity.
In this regard, the aim of this initiative is to ensure the integrity and security of these end-to-end communications by adding an integrated cybersecurity layer to Telefónica’s 5G network and the European Union’s central cybersecurity node. For example, an emergency vehicle can prioritise its journey by making all the traffic lights on its way to the hospital turn green while alerting the vehicles on the route to give way. Telefónica provides an additional guarantee to prevent any attacks on these critical communications.
To demonstrate the importance of security in these communications, three use cases have been developed in the circuit that DEKRA has set up at its facilities in Málaga. More specifically, in the first one, a vehicle that suddenly brakes warns the vehicles behind to prevent accidents and speed up the traffic. In the second, a vehicle that has stopped on the road warns of its situation with the same aim of alerting other vehicles. In the third use case it has been shown how vehicles driving on the circuit are alerted about the colour (phase) of the traffic lights on their route in order to adapt their driving. Real-time critical communications take place in all of them and these are supported by the immediacy of the 5G network response and secured by Telefónica’s digital cybersecurity certificates.
In this demonstrator Telefónica has deployed a PKI (public key infrastructure) platform for the provision of certificates to enable the electronic signing of messages in the European 5G-V2X ecosystem, thus guaranteeing the integrity and availability of the information. This PKI-V2X platform generates and sends batches of anonymous certificates to vehicles, traffic lights and other elements in the ecosystem via 5G in order to digitally sign the messages that are exchanged. The platform is recognised by the European Commission and integrated into its cybersecurity node, as a result of which a necessary step has been taken towards contributing to the creation of a secure mobility ecosystem with cross-border interoperability between the member countries.
Mercedes Fernández, Innovation Manager at Telefónica España
This adds a guarantee of end-to-end cybersecurity to the security of the 5G network for the communications of the ecosystem of connected mobility, vehicles and infrastructures. It’s a cross-cutting, effective and reliable solution that’s certified in Europe and with international interoperability.
Rosario Trapero, Director of Connected and Automated Driving of the Product Testing Service Division at DEKRA
The versatility we offer when it comes to configuring different traffic scenarios and the option of assessing vehicle connectivity in both public and private 5G networks make this area of DEKRA a unique environment for the comprehensive validation of vehicles, devices and V2X and 5G applications and a global benchmark for this kind of testing.