Automotive Cybersecurity Must Start at the Chip Level: Infineon, Vector Informatik

As vehicles become increasingly connected and software-defined, automotive cybersecurity can no longer be treated simply as a software layer added later in the development process. Security needs to begin much deeper, at the semiconductor and hardware level.

That was one of the key themes of Episode 2 of Autocar Professional’s Cybersecurity Dialogues, featuring Girish Kamala of Infineon Technologies and Divyakanth M.C. of Vector Informatik, hosted by Mukul Yudhveer Singh.

The discussion examines how the growing amount of software, connectivity and electronic content inside modern vehicles is expanding the potential attack surface. Securing a vehicle therefore requires protection across multiple layers, beginning with the chips underpinning critical electronic systems and extending through software, networks and the overall vehicle architecture.

Hardware-Level Security: The Foundation for Software-Defined Vehicles

Kamala highlighted the importance of establishing security at the hardware level, creating a trusted foundation upon which other cybersecurity mechanisms can operate.

Divyakanth, meanwhile, discussed the need to look beyond individual points of protection. Securing one interface is not enough when modern vehicles communicate through multiple networks and external interfaces.

Secure Boot, Hardware Security Modules and In-Vehicle Communication

The episode also explores how technologies such as secure boot, hardware security modules and secure in-vehicle communication can help manufacturers build cybersecurity into vehicles from the development stage.

As the industry moves towards increasingly software-defined vehicles, the conversation underlines a fundamental shift: automotive cybersecurity is moving from protecting individual entry points to securing the vehicle from the chip upwards.