Design and Validation of a Lightweight Entropy-Based Intrusion Detection Algorithm for Automotive CANs

The rapid devolopment of Internet of Vehicles (IoV) and Autonomous Connected Vehicles (ACVs) has increased the complexity of in-vehicle networks, exposing security vulnerabilities in traditional Controller Area Network (CAN) systems. CAN security faces dual challenges: stringent computational constr...

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Main Authors: Jiacheng Chen, Zhifu Wang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-06-01
Series:World Electric Vehicle Journal
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2032-6653/16/6/334
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author Jiacheng Chen
Zhifu Wang
author_facet Jiacheng Chen
Zhifu Wang
author_sort Jiacheng Chen
collection DOAJ
description The rapid devolopment of Internet of Vehicles (IoV) and Autonomous Connected Vehicles (ACVs) has increased the complexity of in-vehicle networks, exposing security vulnerabilities in traditional Controller Area Network (CAN) systems. CAN security faces dual challenges: stringent computational constraints imposed by automotive functional safety requirements and the impracticality of protocol modifications in multi-device networks. To address this, we propose a lightweight intrusion detection algorithm leveraging information entropy to analyze side-channel CAN message ID distributions. Evaluated in terms of detection accuracy, false positive rate, and sensitivity to bus load variations, the algorithm was implemented on an NXP MPC-5748G embedded platform through the AutoSar Framework. Experimental results demonstrate robust performance under low computational resources, achieving high detection accuracy with high recall (>80%) even at 10% bus load fluctuation thresholds. This work provides a resource-efficient security framework compatible with existing CAN infrastructures, effectively balancing attack detection efficacy with the operational constraints of automotive embedded systems.
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institution Kabale University
issn 2032-6653
language English
publishDate 2025-06-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series World Electric Vehicle Journal
spelling doaj-art-524db2d7cb514bf99031a34fddac36002025-08-20T03:32:28ZengMDPI AGWorld Electric Vehicle Journal2032-66532025-06-0116633410.3390/wevj16060334Design and Validation of a Lightweight Entropy-Based Intrusion Detection Algorithm for Automotive CANsJiacheng Chen0Zhifu Wang1School of Mechanical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, ChinaSchool of Mechanical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, ChinaThe rapid devolopment of Internet of Vehicles (IoV) and Autonomous Connected Vehicles (ACVs) has increased the complexity of in-vehicle networks, exposing security vulnerabilities in traditional Controller Area Network (CAN) systems. CAN security faces dual challenges: stringent computational constraints imposed by automotive functional safety requirements and the impracticality of protocol modifications in multi-device networks. To address this, we propose a lightweight intrusion detection algorithm leveraging information entropy to analyze side-channel CAN message ID distributions. Evaluated in terms of detection accuracy, false positive rate, and sensitivity to bus load variations, the algorithm was implemented on an NXP MPC-5748G embedded platform through the AutoSar Framework. Experimental results demonstrate robust performance under low computational resources, achieving high detection accuracy with high recall (>80%) even at 10% bus load fluctuation thresholds. This work provides a resource-efficient security framework compatible with existing CAN infrastructures, effectively balancing attack detection efficacy with the operational constraints of automotive embedded systems.https://www.mdpi.com/2032-6653/16/6/334Internet of Vehiclesautomotive intrusion detectioninformation entropyside-channel analysisresource-constrainedMPC-5748G implementation
spellingShingle Jiacheng Chen
Zhifu Wang
Design and Validation of a Lightweight Entropy-Based Intrusion Detection Algorithm for Automotive CANs
World Electric Vehicle Journal
Internet of Vehicles
automotive intrusion detection
information entropy
side-channel analysis
resource-constrained
MPC-5748G implementation
title Design and Validation of a Lightweight Entropy-Based Intrusion Detection Algorithm for Automotive CANs
title_full Design and Validation of a Lightweight Entropy-Based Intrusion Detection Algorithm for Automotive CANs
title_fullStr Design and Validation of a Lightweight Entropy-Based Intrusion Detection Algorithm for Automotive CANs
title_full_unstemmed Design and Validation of a Lightweight Entropy-Based Intrusion Detection Algorithm for Automotive CANs
title_short Design and Validation of a Lightweight Entropy-Based Intrusion Detection Algorithm for Automotive CANs
title_sort design and validation of a lightweight entropy based intrusion detection algorithm for automotive cans
topic Internet of Vehicles
automotive intrusion detection
information entropy
side-channel analysis
resource-constrained
MPC-5748G implementation
url https://www.mdpi.com/2032-6653/16/6/334
work_keys_str_mv AT jiachengchen designandvalidationofalightweightentropybasedintrusiondetectionalgorithmforautomotivecans
AT zhifuwang designandvalidationofalightweightentropybasedintrusiondetectionalgorithmforautomotivecans