Security Centric CAV Platform Architecture

Focus Area: ITS Technologies
Submitting On Behalf Of: Other: Edward Fok, Marisa Migliore, Hanlin Chen
Urgency: Important - Medium Priority
Cost: $250,000 - 499,000
Timeframe: 1 - 2 years
Type of Research: Full Research Project

Date Posted: Jun 26, 2026
Status: Not Funded

Research Description

Identify existing or develop an OEM agnostic, generalized vehicle architecture that models the logical/functional subcomponent blocks spanning from external sensors to physical actuators (such as the brake, steering, and throttle) in a manner like the ARC-IT Architecture.

What we hope to learn:

Determine whether an architecture can be created that describes how a vehicle platform handles external perception, whether through onboard sensors or messages (such as Basic Safety Messages) from other vehicles or off-board sensors. Show how a vehicle uses that data, along with its own onboard systems, to generate kinematic changes (changes to velocity and direction). Determine what level of subcomponent blocks are useful for vulnerability analysis without becoming too detailed and risking exposure of proprietary vendor designs.

Additional Supporting Information

Benefits:

Establishing this common baseline is necessary to effectively perform subsequent vulnerability and exploit analysis on vehicle sub-systems.

This can be a tool that can help determine what constitutes an "acceptable degradation" of the overall system and then works backward to mandate the minimum performance capabilities individual subcomponents must maintain to prevent the system from falling below that baseline. This understanding can help from both functional safety and resilience to a deliberate attack.

Submitted By: Jim Katsafanas; Michael Baker International; 412-269-4635

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