Static analysis of android apps interaction with automotive CAN

Modern car infotainment systems allow users to connect an Android device to the vehicle. The device then interacts with the hardware of the car, hence providing new interaction mechanisms to the driver. However, this can be misused and become a major security breach into the car, with subsequent security concerns: the Android device can both read sensitive data (speed, model, airbag status) and send dangerous commands (brake, lock, airbag explosion). Moreover, this scenario is unsettling since Android devices connect to the cloud, opening the door to remote attacks by malicious users or the cyberspace. The OpenXC platform is an open-source API that allows Android apps to interact with the car’s hardware. This article studies this library and shows how it can be used to create injection attacks. Moreover, it introduces a novel static analysis that identifies such attacks before they actually occur. It has been implemented in the Julia static analyzer and finds injection vulnerabilities in actual apps from the Google Play marketplace.