Method for managing intelligent transport system communications and corresponding electronic control unit

A method for managing intelligent transport system (ITS) communications, comprising:

• receiving an ITS message;
• authenticating the received ITS message;
• assigning each received and authenticated ITS messages a timestamp data item from a continually active clock counter belonging to a secure element of an electronic control unit;
• and
• recording said authenticated received ITS messages and their respective timestamp data in a hardware-secure non-volatile memory belonging to the secure element.

An intelligent transport system (ITS), comprising:

• a network of vehicle stations, roadway infrastructure stations, and at least one central station;
• wherein vehicles are configured to communicate with neighboring vehicle stations through car-to-car messages, with neighboring road infrastructure stations through car-to-infrastructure messages, and with the central station through car-to-infrastructure messages via at least one of a telecommunication network and the roadway infrastructure stations;
• an authentication circuit within at least one of the vehicles, vehicle stations, and neighboring road infrastructure stations configured to authenticate a received message, assign a timestamp data item from a continually active clock counter belonging to a secure element of an electronic control unit to the messages, and record the messages in a hardware-secure non-volatile memory belonging to the secure element along with the respective timestamp data;
• and
• circuitry associated with the authentication circuit and configured to manage the messages by assigning a lifetime to the authenticated received ITS messages recorded in the hardware-secure non-volatile memory, directly rejecting a received message repeating a previously received, authenticated message recorded in the hardware-secure non-volatile memory, the lifetime of which has not run out.