Frequently asked questions

The scale and complexity of connected car technologies is increasing rapidly, as are vulnerabilities to malicious attack. In fact, automotive cyber security attacks have increased by 605% since 2016 and doubled from 2019 – 2020. This issue presents ever-increasing risks for drivers as well as business and reputational risk for stakeholders across the automotive industry.

Regulations and industry-wide cybersecurity standards are relatively new. However, we expect a considerable ramping up of automotive cyber security regulations and guidelines in the coming years.

ISO/SAE 21434 is a set of international security standards in the automotive industry that is currently under review by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). ISO/SAE 21434 includes:

• Identification of assets and potential damage resulting from a breach of security features
• Identification and analysis of potential threats, attacks and vulnerabilities
• Determination of risk levels based on damage scenarios and the probability of successful attacks

• In-car IT system complexity: Connected car systems are becoming increasingly complex and expensive to develop, manage and upgrade. Many cars already carry 120 SoCs and the number is increasing. By 2021, all new cars are projected to be connected. Autonomous vehicles are projected to carry thousands of SoCs, unless solutions – such as those developed by Perseus – are adopted to simplify in-car systems infrastructure.
• Connected car cyber security: Cyber security incidents in the automotive industry increased around 100% from 2019 to 2020. As more connected cars enter our highways, the appeal of the industry rises for malicious actors. With increasing threats from hackers, unsecured systems jeopardize the safety of vehicle fleets and drivers.
• Slow boot speeds of Linux-powered devices: Linux has become the defacto operating system within the automotive industry. However, Linux suffers from painfully slow boot speed, up to 25 seconds. This issue reduces device and application performance and causes safety concerns, such as with rear facing safety cameras. Additionally, US regulators now stipulate that safety features must boot within two seconds.

• Hypervisor (PEGASUS): Perseus has developed a Hypervisor solution that enables multiple devices or applications to run from a single SoC, simplifying the in-car structure by 75% on average. A simpler in-car infrastructure is easier and cheaper to develop, manage and upgrade. And it enables higher grade security protocols to be implemented.
• Secure container (AEGIS): Perseus Hypervisor-based security protocol enables real time, fine-grained I/O control over individual devices and applications, preventing hacking incidents and ensuring that critical in-car features perform at their peak, even under DoS attack. 
• Linux Fast Boot (TACHYON): Our fast boot solution reduces boot speeds of Linux-powered devices and applications to 1.32 seconds. It not only improves performance of in-car devices, but also ensures compliance with new regulations for rear-view safety cameras. This solution is fully compatible with existing Linux-OS and can also be adapted for other operating systems, such as Android and Autosar.

Linux is the default operating system in automotive and supports a multitude of devices and applications in connected cars. Linux is a General-Purpose Operating System (GPOS), meaning its embedded system offers broad support with less cost or integration effort. Due to its all-encompassing nature, it is suitable for systems with complexity that demand processing power. However, Linux suffers from suboptimal boot speeds, up to 25 seconds. Real Time Operating Systems (RTOS) provide a solution to this issue, but require specialist engineering resources to develop and manage. 

Our CEO, Dr. Sangbum Seo, founded Perseus in 2016 to explore the commercial potential of Hypervisor in the connected car industry. He is an industry expert with 15 years of experience in the R&D of complex IT systems, namely leading the development of Tizen at Samsung – now the market-leading smart TV operating system. He is also a leader of Hypervisor R&D, as founder of the Xen ARM Open Source Community.

Perseus has published a number of white papers, as far back as 2009, that demonstrate the efficacy of our technology. We demonstrated a commercial use case of our Hypervisor technology in a standard smartphone in 2009 at ACM MobiCom-09. We have also operated successful PoC projects with the likes of Renesas and have acted as Leader of Hypervisor Projects at Genivi for the past few years. We also operated a successful role-out of our security solution with VISA during the London Olympic Games in 2012.

Our R&D headquarters are based in Seoul, Korea. However, we have local branch offices in Germany (Munich) and the USA (Silicon Valley). With extensive reach in Asia, the USA and Europe, we can deliver projects and offer technical support to our clients around the world.

Perseus is seeking to form meaningful relationships with:

• Automotive brands, with a key focus on those based in Europe and the USA
• Tier 1 suppliers that are seeking solutions that simplify their in-car technology infrastructure, enhance security for connected systems and ensure peak performance
• Companies developing applications and systems for connected cars and autonomous vehicles

Email us at contact@cyberperseus.com

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