# US 2025/0083641 A1 · Vehicle security apparatus, security method, and recording medium > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2025/0083641 A1 - Document ID: US20250083641A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 18/762,192 - Filed: 2024-07-02 - Published: 2025-03-13 - Earliest claimed: 2023-09-11 - Assignees: Panasonic Automotive Systems Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Panasonic Automotive Systems Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Takumaru NAGAI; Jun ANZAI - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20250083641A1 ## CPC - G06F 21/30: Authentication, i.e. establishing the identity or authorisation of security principals - G06F 21/44: Program or device authentication - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract A vehicle security apparatus includes a primary dynamic authenticator and a connection manager that are provided in an ECU included in a vehicle, wherein when an access request from an access source in the vehicle to an access destination in the vehicle is received, the primary dynamic authenticator determines, based on reliability of an application installed in the access source determined based on at least one of a state of the application of the access source or a state of the vehicle, whether to cause a secondary dynamic authenticator included in a zone ECU connected to the access destination of the access request to execute authorization determination for the access request, and when it is determined to cause the secondary dynamic authenticator that corresponds to the access destination to execute the authorization determination, the connection manager outputs the access request to the zone ECU connected to the access destination. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A vehicle security apparatus mounted in a vehicle, the vehicle including: an electronic control unit (ECU) in which the vehicle security apparatus is provided; and a zone ECU that is controlled by the ECU and controls a device mounted in the vehicle, the vehicle security apparatus comprising: a primary dynamic authenticator that, when an access request from an access source in the vehicle to an access destination in the vehicle is received, makes a determination as to whether to cause a secondary dynamic authenticator included in the zone ECU connected to the access destination of the access request to execute authorization determination for the access request, based on reliability of an application installed in the access source determined based on at least one of application information regarding the application installed in the access source or a state of the vehicle; and a connection manager that outputs the access request to the zone ECU connected to the access destination when the determination is made to cause the secondary dynamic authenticator that corresponds to the access destination to execute the authorization determination. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The vehicle security apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle includes a plurality of zone ECUs, the plurality of zone ECUs include the zone ECU that includes the secondary dynamic authenticator and a zone ECU that does not include the secondary dynamic authenticator, and the primary dynamic authenticator makes the determination further based on authentication information that indicates whether each of the plurality of zone ECUs includes the secondary dynamic authenticator. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The vehicle security apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the primary dynamic authenticator determines whether the zone ECU connected to the access destination includes the secondary dynamic authenticator, and makes the determination when the zone ECU connected to the access destination includes the secondary dynamic authenticator. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The vehicle security apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the primary dynamic authenticator makes the determination further based on a security state of the vehicle. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The vehicle security apparatus according to claim 1, comprising: one or more virtual machines, wherein the reliability is set to a different value based on whether a virtual machine among the one or more virtual machines in which the application of the access source is installed is a virtual machine produced in-house by a manufacturer of the vehicle or a virtual machine prepared externally. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The vehicle security apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the reliability is set to a higher value when the virtual machine is a virtual machine produced in-house than when the virtual machine is a virtual machine prepared externally. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The vehicle security apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reliability is set based on a certificate acquired from the application installed in the access source, the certification including a privilege level of the application. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The vehicle security apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reliability is set based on whether an anomaly in the application installed in the access source has been detected. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The vehicle security apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the primary dynamic authenticator does not execute the authorization determination for the access request when the determination is made to cause the secondary dynamic authenticator that corresponds to the access destination to execute the authorization determination, and executes the authorization determination for the access request when the determination is made not to cause the secondary dynamic authenticator that corresponds to the access destination to execute the authorization determination. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The vehicle security apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when a predetermined condition is satisfied, the primary dynamic authenticator determines to cause each of the primary dynamic authenticator and the secondary dynamic authenticator that corresponds to the access destination to execute the authorization determination. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The vehicle security apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the predetermined condition includes at least one of: a condition in which the access request is a request for a first access after updating the reliability; a condition in which a timing is a timing at which each of the primary dynamic authenticator and the secondary dynamic authenticator that corresponds to the access destination executes the authorization determination; or a condition in which an instruction is acquired from outside of the vehicle. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The vehicle security apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the device includes at least one of a terminal accelerator, a sensor, a motor, a battery, or a charger. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The vehicle security apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the application information includes at least one of an anomaly in the application, an anomaly in a virtual machine in which the application is installed, an anomaly in an anomaly detector that monitors the application, or an anomaly in an anomaly detector that monitors the virtual machine in which the application is installed. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The vehicle security apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the state of the vehicle includes at least one of a running location of the vehicle, usage of the access destination, a running state of the vehicle, a security condition of the access source, a security condition of the access destination, or usage of a service used in the vehicle. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The vehicle security apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the application information is information available in advance. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The vehicle security apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the primary dynamic authenticator is provided in a trusted region included in the ECU, and the connection manager is provided in a non-trusted region included in the ECU. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The vehicle security apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the secondary dynamic authenticator is provided in a trusted region included in the zone ECU. ### Claim 18 (depends on 2) The vehicle security apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the primary dynamic authenticator is provided in a trusted region included in the ECU, and includes a storage that stores the authentication information. ### Claim 19 A security method executed by a vehicle security apparatus mounted in a vehicle, the vehicle including: an electronic control unit (ECU) in which the vehicle security apparatus is provided; and a zone ECU that is controlled by the ECU and controls a device mounted in the vehicle, the security method comprising: when an access request from an access source in the vehicle to an access destination in the vehicle is received, making a determination as to whether to cause a secondary dynamic authenticator included in the zone ECU connected to the access destination of the access request to execute authorization determination for the access request, based on reliability of an application installed in the access source determined based on at least one of application information regarding the application installed in the access source or a state of the vehicle; and outputting the access request to the zone ECU connected to the access destination when the determination is made to cause the secondary dynamic authenticator that corresponds to the access destination to execute the authorization determination. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program for causing a computer to execute the security method according to claim 19.