INDUSTRY SOLUTIONS

Automotive ECU Security
Solutions for Modern Vehicles

ECU-level runtime protection and continuous integrity attestation for production firmware—designed for real-time constraints and modern vehicle attack paths.

//Automotive Security Threat Model

Modern Vehicle Attack Paths

Connected vehicle interfaces (telematics, OTA, diagnostics, shared software) expand the attack surface. Once attackers gain access, they can pivot across in-vehicle networks to ECUs—where runtime tampering and calibration manipulation can create real operational risk.

// Core Automotive Security Capabilities

Runtime Defense at the ECU Level

Continuous integrity attestation

Detect runtime modifications and integrity drift across critical code and data.

Task + Process Monitoring

Identify and block unauthorized runtime behaviors that correlate with exploitation.

Calibration + parameter protection

Secure high-value memory regions with policy-based write controls for development and production modes.

Forensics-ready telemetry

Real-time security event generation for local logging or centralized analysis

// How Symbiote Works

High-Performance ECU Protection

Symbiote is embedded into the ECU firmware image and activates at defined execution points. It verifies integrity, monitors for exploit-like behavior, and records security events—adapting to system load to preserve real-time timing.

  • Validates critical code/data regions to detect unauthorized modification.
  • Flags abnormal task/process behavior, suspicious memory activity, and unauthorized writes to protected regions.
  • Generates alerts/telemetry and can apply policy actions (e.g., block, isolate, rollback) where supported.
IN-VEHICLE ECU
ECU FIRMWARE / RTOS
( INTERCEPT POINTS )
INTEGRITY CHECKS
POLICY ACTIONS
ECU_DIAGNOSTIC_PORT
> [INFO] CAN_RX: ID_0x412 (SPD_DATA)
> [INFO] SecOC_VERIFY: MAC_MATCH_OK
> [WARN] UDS_REQ: 0x27 (SEC_ACCESS) -> FAIL
> [BLOCK] ILLEGAL_FLASH_WRITE: 0x8000...
> [AESOP] LOG_SAVED: EVT_ID_0992_

// Automotive Security Use Cases

Practical Runtime Defense Outcomes Teams Can Ship

Identify memory corruption and code-reuse signals in real time.

Protect high-value parameters from unauthorized writes during service or operation.

Reduce exposure between patch cycles with runtime signals.

Generate defensible logs for forensics and internal audits.

// Automotive Regulatory Compliance

Supporting UN R155

Security expectations are trending toward runtime monitoring and evidence, alongside secure development and update practices.

 

Symbiote delivers integrity signals and event timelines for defensible reports and response workflows without requiring constant connectivity.

 

// FAQ

Common questions from OEM + Tier-1 Teams

Do you need source code?
No. Symbiote can be applied late in the build flow to final firmware images. Source can accelerate integration, but it’s not required.
Protections run via defined execution points and an adaptive scheduler that backs off under load. Policies can be tuned to meet timing goals.
Logs can be collected locally and extracted at service time. Connectivity helps, but offline workflows are supported.
Start with visibility on defined regions/actions, then refine policy by operational state (dev/in-cal/prod). The goal is protection without breaking serviceability.
Symbiote’s runtime defense currently adds only a 1% to 3% performance overhead.

// NEXT STEPS

If you’re balancing compliance timelines, real‑time constraints, and long patch cycles, we’ll show a path from a single ECU integration to a scalable program.