France-based IoT security startup ProvenRun has done a deal with Renault Group to protect onboard comms on software-defined vehicle (SDV) platforms for Ampere, the car company’s electric vehicle (EV) software spinoff. The firm has worked with Ampere on a ‘protocol breaker’ product to create secure high-speed data transfers between in-car systems, with a view to shore-up advanced features like autonomous driving and real-time navigation.
ProvenRun, founded by entrepreneur Dominique Bolignano, secured a €15 million Series A round in December, led by Tikehau Capital and the French Ministry of Defense. It claims to offer the “world’s most secure operating system and apps for connected vehicles, smart devices, and IoT-enabled hardware”. ProvenCore is the only system to attain highest-level (EAL7) certification on the Common Criteria (CC) for IoT security, it claims.
Ampere, part of Renault, is billed as the “first European company specialising in electric vehicles and software”. It calls itself a “software pure player”, and designs, develops, and manufactures EVs under the Renault brand. The new protocol breaker, the result of a “strategic partnership” between ProvenRun and Ampere, is designed to reduce security vulnerabilities in Ethernet-based connectivity in SDVs.
A statement explained: “It separates and isolates two communication segments: the ‘front’ and the ‘back’. The front segment interfaces with connected and exposed engine control units (ECUs) [and] acts as the first line of defence, scrutinising all incoming data for integrity and authenticity… The back segment… interacts with the vehicle’s critical systems [and] ensures data received from the front segment is appropriately formatted and safe… to process.”
The front and back segments are designed, respectively, to secure and verify connectivity to critical driving systems, and to maintain the operational integrity of core functions like steering, accelerating, and braking, said ProvenRun. The protocol breaker uses ProvenCore’s own operating system and the (“top-tier security” level) Rust programming language. The former is CC EAL7 certified, as above; the latter features a “unique memory management approach” to mitigate against common cyber attacks.
Henry Bzeih, vice president for software and systems at Ampere, said: “ProvenCore OS EAL7 certification has no equivalent on the market which is a concrete proof of excellence. It convinced us to use their product but moreover to co-create IP with them! ProvenRun cybersecurity competences joint to Ampere software expertise will allow our SDV platform introduction while ensuring a secure by design approach. This unique partnership marks a crucial step, reflecting a shared dedication to secure innovative solutions in the automotive industry.”
