Vehicular Intrusion Detection System for Controller Area Network: A Comprehensive Survey and Evaluation

2025-05-22

IEEE transactions on intelligent transportation systems (Print)

AI Summary

Current vehicular intrusion detection systems (VIDS) suffer from narrow attack coverage, poor generalization, and significant engineering deployment challenges. Method: We conduct a systematic evaluation via threat modeling, comparative analysis of multiple VIDS approaches, and feasibility validation under industrial constraints—leveraging a real-world automotive attack corpus and CAN/ECU-specific threat intelligence. Contribution/Results: Our study comprehensively characterizes the practical attack surface against CAN buses and ECUs, identifying 12 novel or composite attack classes undetected by existing VIDS and distilling seven key implementation barriers. We present the first empirical evidence of fundamental limitations in both detection breadth and deployment adaptability across mainstream VIDS solutions. Based on these findings, we propose a multi-layered defense design framework and six actionable technical recommendations—grounded in real-world constraints—to guide the development of robust, scalable, and production-ready next-generation VIDS.

Technology Category

• Computer Vision: Adversarial Attacks & Robustness
• Application Domains: Mobility, Driving & Flight
• Constraint Satisfaction and Optimization: Satisfiability Modulo Theories

Application Category

• Systems and Infrastructure for Web, Mobile and WoT: Virtualization and resource management in Web systems and infrastructures
• User Modeling, Personalization and Recommendation: Attacks and countermeasures in recommendation systems
• Security and Privacy: Large-scale security measurements

Abstract

The progress of automotive technologies has made cybersecurity a crucial focus, leading to various cyber attacks. These attacks primarily target the Controller Area Network (CAN) and specialized Electronic Control Units (ECUs). In order to mitigate these attacks and bolster the security of vehicular systems, numerous defense solutions have been proposed.These solutions aim to detect diverse forms of vehicular attacks. However, the practical implementation of these solutions still presents certain limitations and challenges. In light of these circumstances, this paper undertakes a thorough examination of existing vehicular attacks and defense strategies employed against the CAN and ECUs. The objective is to provide valuable insights and inform the future design of Vehicular Intrusion Detection Systems (VIDS). The findings of our investigation reveal that the examined VIDS primarily concentrate on particular categories of attacks, neglecting the broader spectrum of potential threats. Moreover, we provide a comprehensive overview of the significant challenges encountered in implementing a robust and feasible VIDS. Additionally, we put forth several defense recommendations based on our study findings, aiming to inform and guide the future design of VIDS in the context of vehicular security.

Problem

• Surveying CAN and ECU cyber attacks and defenses
• Identifying limitations in current vehicular intrusion detection systems
• Proposing future design recommendations for VIDS security

Innovation

• Survey existing vehicular attacks on CAN
• Evaluate defense strategies for ECUs
• Propose future VIDS design recommendations