Diagnostic Access Authorization for Future Vehicle Generations

Ihringen, 19 December 2019. The new technology which is designed to make hacker attacks on vehicle data and vehicle electronics more difficult has a significant downside for the independent repair market: Manufacturers are increasingly restricting diagnostic access via the OBD interface. After Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) who already protect the vehicle data of their current models against unauthorized access via security gateway (SGW), Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz are now introducing the first models with a partial access lock on the vehicle data bus. To perform functions such as diagnosis, actuator tests and basic settings on these vehicles, independent workshops need a digital key which can only obtained by online-authorization from the manufacturer.

 

For unlocking the security gateways in FCA vehicles, Hella Gutmann will introduce the SGW adapter in January 2020. It can be used with all diagnostic tools – even with devices which are not web-enabled. It is simply plugged in between the OBD interface and the mega macs and connected to a web-enabled laptop via USB cable. After successful registration on the FCA portal and receipt of a digital key, the security gateway is unlocked. The vehicle diagnosis with the mega macs can now be carried out as usual.

 

In the second stage, Hella Gutmann will integrate a comprehensive cyber security management in the mega macs software in order to render the procedure for independent workshops as time-saving as possible. This OE-compliant embedding enables dialing in on manufacturer portals as well as access authorization directly from the mega macs. The integrated cyber security management will be activated via software update toward the end of 2020.