Evaluating Lightweight Block Cipher Payload Encryption for Real-Time CAN Traffic
For automotive cybersecurity, this work shows that lightweight encryption can be feasibly integrated into resource-constrained CAN nodes to prevent semantic reverse engineering.
This study evaluates lightweight block cipher encryption on a real-time CAN node using a QT PY ESP32-S2 microcontroller, finding that it masks constant values and predictable patterns while preserving a 100 Hz transmission schedule, reducing passive inference of CAN signal semantics.
This study evaluates the feasibility of integrating lightweight block cipher payload encryption into a real-time embedded controller area network (CAN) node using a QT PY ESP32-S2 microcontroller. This work seeks to determine whether the use of a block cipher can prevent semantic taxonomy-based reverse engineering, which infers signal meaning from unencrypted CAN traffic using observation and statistical analysis. CAN payloads are encrypted using a lightweight block cipher and evaluated through experiments that measure timing impact, payload pattern observability, and correlation-based inference. Results indicate that encryption masks constant values and predictable signal patterns while preserving a 100 Hz transmission schedule. These findings suggest that lightweight payload encryption can reduce passive, observation based inference of CAN signal semantics on resource-constrained hardware with limited timing overhead impact.