Stopping spoofed sensor readings
Though there has been a lot of press about hacks of automotive CPUs, not much has been said about spoofing the sensors that will guide autonomous systems. But a company called Regulus says it has managed to send fake GPS signals to GPS receivers that could have potentially sent GPS-guided vehicles in the wrong direction, a scenario that is particularly troublesome if there is no human driver around to correct the error. The company further says anybody can send spoof GPS signals using a $300 kit and open source software. Regulus says it has also spoofed laser and radar returns for lidar and radar systems, potentially making cars think specific obstacles don’t exist. The scary part is that the sorts of hacks Regulus describes can be carried out without hacking into engine control units. Regulus has some up with several kinds of spoofing protection to prevent such difficulties. Called Pyramid, its devices basically filter out fake returns in systems that include GPS, lidar, and radar, using a proprietary software scheme. There is a similar Pyramid product for vehicle communications.
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