Abstract: One or more ECU's in an automotive vehicle have a contingent boot and an authenticated boot. When each such ECU is initialized, that ECU performs the contingent boot and the authenticated boot in parallel. The authenticated boot authenticates operational firmware for that ECU that is stored in flash memory of that ECU, starting with initial firmware of the operational firmware. Contingent boot firmware is stored in flash memory of the ECU or is stored in essentially non-alterable memory of the ECU. The contingent boot executes the ECU contingent boot firmware for that ECU. The contingent boot firmware has limited functionality and does not have the ability to flash the flash memory. Upon successful authentication of the initial firmware, the ECU executes the initial firmware and terminates the contingent boot.

Abstract: Vehicle diagnostic access authentication techniques comprise, in response to receiving a request for diagnostic access to the vehicle that comprises a public key certificate, transmitting an authentication challenge back to an external testing tool that causes it to obtain, from a PKI computing system, and return to the vehicle a signed authentication challenge comprising a digital signature. The vehicle then determines whether the digital signature is valid using the public key certificate and, when valid, a set of diagnostics associated with a diagnostic role specified by the diagnostic access request are unlocked. When any of the set of unlocked diagnostics associated with the diagnostic role match any of the set of diagnostics for the set of components specified by the diagnostic access request, the external testing tool is granted diagnostic access to the vehicle to execute the one or more matched diagnostics.

Abstract: One or more ECU's in an automotive vehicle have a contingent boot and an authenticated boot. When each such ECU is initialized, that ECU performs the contingent boot and the authenticated boot in parallel. The authenticated boot authenticates operational firmware for that ECU that is stored in flash memory of that ECU, starting with initial firmware of the operational firmware. Contingent boot firmware is stored in flash memory of the ECU or is stored in essentially non-alterable memory of the ECU. The contingent boot executes the ECU contingent boot firmware for that ECU. The contingent boot firmware has limited functionality and does not have the ability to flash the flash memory. Upon successful authentication of the initial firmware, the ECU executes the initial firmware and terminates the contingent boot.