Vehicle Component Identification and Configuration Registry Reporting System

Abstract

A method and system for utilizing a telematics unit on a telematics-equipped vehicle as a register for ECU Critical Information (ECI) associated with the ECUs in the vehicle, which may include their serial numbers, configurations, software images, and other data includes the telematics unit querying ECUs within the telematics-equipped vehicle such as, for example, when the vehicle is started. The ECUs may then provide the telematics unit with the ECI associated with each ECU. The ECI may be encrypted, and the telematics unit may provide each module that it queries with a nonce used in the encryption process. The telematics unit may then decrypt the ECI received from each of the ECUs and compare the received ECI to previously stored ECI. If the received ECI is different from the previously stored ECI, the telematics unit may send the new ECI to a TSP call center. Both the telematics unit and the call center may replace the previously stored ECI with the new ECI and may maintain records of previously stored ECI and updates to the ECI.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Manufacturers and owners of conventional mobile vehicles such as cars, trucks, motorcycles, and so on face many certain problems associated with the security of the mobile vehicle. In particular, one problem associated with mobile vehicles has traditionally been theft. Stolen vehicles can be hard to locate, and when stolen vehicles are disassembled and sold for parts, it may become even more difficult to track down the parts and identify the parties responsible for stealing or processing the vehicle. The sale of stolen vehicle parts is a problem for manufacturers as well, as it introduces illicit competition from used and worn parts, and harms the industry and consumers generally.

In addition to the problem of theft, manufacturers may encounter warranty issues with owners who may tamper with certain components of the vehicle. For example, an owner or professional “tuner shop” may reprogram the electric control unit (ECU) responsible for the vehicle engine with performance mappings that increase the engine performance (“tuner updates”). However this “tuning” also results in a greatly shortened engine life. Once the engine breaks, the ECU will be re-programmed with the original settings so that the manufacturer cannot determine that the warranty is no longer valid due to “tuner” tampering.

The inventors observe that telematics units within telematics-equipped mobile vehicles may control and monitor various components of the vehicles, as well as provide subscribers with connectivity to a telematics service provider (TSP). The TSP provides the subscriber with an array of services ranging from emergency call handling and stolen vehicle recovery to diagnostics monitoring and turn-by-turn navigation. Telematics units are often provisioned and activated at a point of sale when a subscriber purchases a telematics-equipped vehicle. Upon activation, the telematics unit can be utilized to provide a subscriber with telematics services.

It is an object in part of certain implementations of the present invention to utilize the telematics unit on mobile vehicles to address the problems of tampering and theft. However, while this is an object underlying certain implementations of the invention, it will be appreciated that the invention is not limited to systems that solve the problems noted herein. Moreover, the inventors have created the above body of information for the convenience of the reader and expressly disclaim all of the foregoing as prior art; the foregoing is a discussion of problems discovered and/or appreciated by the inventors, and is not an attempt to review or catalog the prior art.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides a system and method for utilizing a telematics unit on a telematics-equipped vehicle as a register for ECU Critical Information (ECI) associated with the ECUs in the vehicle, which may include their serial numbers, configurations, software images, and other data. In one implementation, the telematics unit may query ECUs within the telematics-equipped vehicle at some point in time, such as, for example, when the vehicle is started, and the ECUs may then provide the telematics unit with the ECI associated with each ECU.

In a further implementation, the telematics unit may provide each module that it queries with a nonce (random number used once), which may be, for example, GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) or GPS (Global Positioning System) time, and the ECUs may each send a micro-certificate, encrypted ECI (nonce used in encryption key generation), and a signature of the ECI to the telematics unit. The telematics unit may then decrypt the ECI received from each of the ECUs.

The telematics unit may then compare the micro-certificate and ECI received from the ECUs to previously stored micro-certificates and ECI. If either the received micro-certificate or ECI are different from the previously stored micro-certificate or ECI, the telematics unit may send the new micro-certificate and/or ECI to a TSP call center. Both the telematics unit and the call center may replace the previously stored micro-certificate and/or ECI with the new micro-certificate and/or ECI and may maintain records of previously stored micro-certificate and/or ECI that have since been changed. In yet another further implementation, the ECI and/or the communication between the telematics unit and the TSP call center may be cryptographically protected using micro-certificates or standard x.509 certificates.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference to the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an operating environment for a mobile vehicle communication system usable in implementations of the described principles;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a process for using a telematics unit on a telematics-equipped vehicle as a register for ECI and detecting changes in ECI in accordance with an implementation of the described principles;

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustrating communications between a telematics unit and an ECU in accordance with an implementation of the described principles;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating two exemplary processes relating to tampered-with ECUs and stolen ECUs in accordance with an implementation of the described principles; and

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process relating to an issued recall in accordance with an implementation of the described principles.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Before discussing the details of the invention and the environment wherein the invention may be used, a brief overview is given to guide the reader. In general terms, not intended to limit the claims, the invention is directed to a system and method for utilizing a telematics unit on a telematics-equipped vehicle as a register for ECI associated with the ECUs in the vehicle. The telematics unit may query ECUs within the telematics-equipped vehicle at some point in time, and the ECUs may then provide the telematics unit with the ECI associated with each ECU. Each telematic unit may compare any received ECI to a previously stored ECI for a given ECU, and if the received ECI is different from the previously stored ECI, the telematics unit may send the new ECI to a TSP call center. Both the telematics unit and the call center may replace the previously stored ECI with the new ECI and may maintain records of previously stored ECI and updates to the ECI.

Given this overview, an exemplary environment in which the invention may operate is described hereinafter. It will be appreciated that the described environment is an example, and does not imply any limitation regarding the use of other environments to practice the invention. With reference to FIG. 1 there is shown an example of a communication system 100 that may be used with the present method and system and generally includes a vehicle 102, a wireless carrier system 104, a land network 106 and a call center 108. It should be appreciated that the overall architecture, setup and operation, as well as the individual components of a system such as that shown here are generally known in the art. Thus, the following paragraphs simply provide a brief overview of one such exemplary information system 100; however, other systems not shown here could employ the present method as well.

Vehicle 102 is preferably a mobile vehicle such as a motorcycle, car, truck, recreational vehicle (RV), boat, plane, etc., and is equipped with suitable hardware and software that enables it to communicate over system 100. Some of the vehicle hardware 110 is shown generally in FIG. 1 including a telematics unit 114, a microphone 116, a speaker 118 and buttons and/or controls 120 connected to the telematics unit 114. Operatively coupled to the telematics unit 114 is a network connection or vehicle bus 122. Examples of suitable network connections include a controller area network (CAN), a media oriented system transfer (MOST), a local interconnection network (LIN), an Ethernet, and other appropriate connections such as those that conform with known ISO, SAE, and IEEE standards and specifications, to name a few.

The telematics unit 114 is an onboard device that provides a variety of services through its communication with the call center 108, and generally includes an electronic processing device 128 one or more types of electronic memory 130, a cellular chipset/component 124, a wireless modem 126, a dual antenna 160 and a navigation unit containing a GPS chipset/component 132. In one example, the wireless modem 126 is comprised of a computer program and/or set of software routines executing within processing device 128. The cellular chipset/component 124 and the wireless modem 126 may be called the network access device (NAD) of the telematics unit 114.

The telematics unit 114 provides too many services to list them all, but several examples include: turn-by-turn directions and other navigation-related services provided in conjunction with the GPS based chipset/component 132; airbag deployment notification and other emergency or roadside assistance-related services provided in connection with various crash and or collision sensor interface modules 156 and sensors 158 located throughout the vehicle. Infotainment-related services where music, Web pages, movies, television programs, video games and/or other content is downloaded by an infotainment center 136 operatively connected to the telematics unit 114 via vehicle bus 122 and audio bus 112. In one example, downloaded content is stored for current or later playback.

Again, the above-listed services are by no means an exhaustive list of all the capabilities of telematics unit 114, as should be appreciated by those skilled in the art, but are simply an illustration of some of the services that the telematics unit 114 is capable of offering. It is anticipated that telematics unit 114 include a number of known components in addition to those listed above.

Vehicle communications preferably use radio transmissions to establish a voice channel with wireless carrier system 104 so that both voice and data transmissions can be sent and received over the voice channel. Vehicle communications are enabled via the cellular chipset/component 124 for voice communications and a wireless modem 126 for data transmission. In order to enable successful data transmission over the voice channel, wireless modem 126 applies some type of encoding or modulation to convert the digital data so that it can communicate through a vocoder or speech codec incorporated in the cellular chipset/component 124. Any suitable encoding or modulation technique that provides an acceptable data rate and bit error can be used with the present method. Dual mode antenna 160 services the GPS chipset/component and the cellular chipset/component.

Microphone 116 provides the driver or other vehicle occupant with a means for inputting verbal or other auditory commands, and can be equipped with an embedded voice processing unit utilizing a human/machine interface (HMI) technology known in the art. Conversely, speaker 118 provides verbal output to the vehicle occupants and can be either a stand-alone speaker specifically dedicated for use with the telematics unit 114 or can be part of a vehicle audio component 154. In either event, microphone 116 and speaker 118 enable vehicle hardware 110 and call center 108 to communicate with the occupants through audible speech. The vehicle hardware also includes one or more buttons or controls 120 for enabling a vehicle occupant to activate or engage one or more of the vehicle hardware components 110. For example, one of the buttons 120 can be an electronic push button used to initiate voice communication with call center 108 (whether it be a live advisor 148 or an automated call response system). In another example, one of the buttons 120 can be used to initiate emergency services.

The audio component 154 is operatively connected to the vehicle bus 122 and the audio bus 112. The audio component 154 receives analog information, rendering it as sound, via the audio bus 112. Digital information is received via the vehicle bus 122. The audio component 154 provides AM and FM radio, CD, DVD, and multimedia functionality independent of the infotainment center 136. Audio component 154 may contain a speaker system, or may utilize speaker 118 via arbitration on vehicle bus 122 and/or audio bus 112.

The vehicle crash and/or collision detection sensor interface 156 are operatively connected to the vehicle bus 122. The crash sensors 158 provide information to the telematics unit 114 via the crash and/or collision detection sensor interface 156 regarding the severity of a vehicle collision, such as the angle of impact and the amount of force sustained.

Vehicle sensors 162, connected to various sensor interface modules 134 are operatively connected to the vehicle bus 122. Example vehicle sensors include but are not limited to gyroscopes, accelerometers, magnetometers, emission detection and/or control sensors, and the like. Example sensor interface modules 134 include power train control, climate control, and body control, to name but a few.

Wireless carrier system 104 is preferably a cellular telephone system or any other suitable wireless system that transmits signals between the vehicle hardware 110 and land network 106. According to an example, wireless carrier system 104 includes one or more cell towers 138, base stations and/or mobile switching centers (MSCs) 140, as well as any other networking components required to connect the wireless system 104 with land network 106. A component in the mobile switching center may include a remote data server 144.

As appreciated by those skilled in the art, various cell tower/base station/MSC arrangements are possible and could be used with wireless system 104. For example, a base station and a cell tower could be co-located at the same site or they could be remotely located, and a single base station could be coupled to various cell towers or various base stations could be coupled with a single MSC, to but a few of the possible arrangements. Preferably, a speech codec or vocoder is incorporated in one or more of the base stations, but depending on the particular architecture of the wireless network, it could be incorporated within a Mobile Switching Center or some other network components as well.

Land network 106 can be a conventional land-based telecommunications network that is connected to one or more landline telephones and connects wireless carrier network 104 to call center 108. For example, land network 106 can include a public switched telephone network (PSTN) and/or an Internet protocol (IP) network, as is appreciated by those skilled in the art. Of course, one or more segments of the land network 106 can be implemented in the form of a standard wired network, a fiber or other optical network, a cable network, other wireless networks such as wireless local networks (WLANs) or networks providing broadband wireless access (BWA), or any combination thereof.

Operations Call Center (OCC) 108 is designed to provide the vehicle hardware 110 with a number of different system back-end functions and, according to the example shown here, generally includes one or more switches 142, servers 144, databases 146, live advisors 148, as well as a variety of other telecommunication and computer equipment 150 that is known to those skilled in the art. These various call center components are preferably coupled to one another via a network connection or bus 152, such as the one previously described in connection with the vehicle hardware 110. Switch 142, which can be a private branch exchange (PBX) switch, routes incoming signals so that voice transmissions are usually sent to either the live advisor 148 or an automated response system, and data transmissions are passed on to a modem or other piece of equipment 150 for demodulation and further signal processing.

The modem 150 preferably includes an encoder, as previously explained, and can be connected to various devices such as a server 144 and database 146. For example, database 146 could be designed to store subscriber profile records, subscriber behavioral patterns, or any other pertinent subscriber information. Although the illustrated example has been described as it would be used in conjunction with a manned call center 108, it will be appreciated that the call center 108 can be any central or remote facility, manned or unmanned, mobile or fixed, to or from which it is desirable to exchange voice and data.

It will be appreciated that the components depicted in FIG. 1, as well as other modules that may be included in a vehicle but are not depicted in FIG. 1, may include or be connected to appropriate ECUs, which are, generally speaking, control units that control one or more of the systems or subsystems in the vehicle. The telematics unit 114 may communicate with the ECUs, including, for example, sending queries to the ECUs and receiving ECI from the ECUs, and the telematics unit 114 may be connected to the ECUs through wired or wireless connections. Examples of types of ECUs include and are not limited to, airbag control units, convenience control units, door control units, engine control units, man machine interfaces, on-board diagnostics units, powertrain control modules, seat control units, speed control units, telephone control units, and transmission control units.

With further reference to the architecture of FIG. 1, and turning more specifically to FIG. 2, a process 200 for using a telematics unit on a telematics-equipped vehicle as a register for ECI and detecting changes in ECI is depicted. At some point in time, such as when a telematics-equipped vehicle is started, the telematics unit may send a query 201 to ECUs within the vehicle, and the ECUs may respond 203 with ECI (including but not limited to serial numbers, configurations, software images, and other data). In a further implementation the ECI received from an ECU may be encrypted, and the telematics unit may then decrypt 205 the ECI, which will be discussed in further detail below.

The telematics unit may then compare 207 the ECI received in response to the query to previously stored ECI. If any of the ECI is different 209 from the previously stored ECI, the telematics unit may update 211 its previously stored ECI with the new ECI, and may further maintain a record 211 of previously stored ECIs and updates made to them. The telematics unit may further send 213 the new ECI that is different from the previously stored ECI to a TSP call center, and the TSP call center may also update its previously stored ECI at the call center with the new ECI, and may also maintain a record of previously stored ECI and updates made to them for each vehicle. Based on the change from the previously stored ECI to the new ECI received from the telematics unit, the call center may or may not take further appropriate action, depending on the information, as will be discussed in further detail below.

It will be appreciated by those of skill in the art that the execution of the various machine-implemented processes and steps described herein may occur via the computerized execution of computer-executable instructions stored on a non-transient, tangible computer-readable medium, e.g., RAM, ROM, PROM, volatile, nonvolatile, or other electronic memory mechanism. Thus, for example, the operations performed by the telematics unit and the ECUs may be carried out according to stored instructions or applications installed on the telematics unit and the ECUs.

With further reference to the architecture of FIG. 1 and the process of FIG. 2, and turning now more specifically to FIG. 3, a schematic 300 is depicted that illustrates exemplary communications between a telematics unit 301 and an ECU 310 in one implementation where the ECI is encrypted. The telematics unit 301, which has a Certification Authority (CA) Root Certificate 302 stored on it, may send a first message 320 (e.g. a query) to the ECU 310, wherein the query includes a nonce, which, for example, may be the GPS time 321 or GPRS time. The ECU 310, which has a micro-certificate 311, and private key 312, may reply to the first message 320 with a second message 330. A micro-certificate, such as an implicit certificate used in Elliptical Curve Cryptography, may be used to secure communications while occupying less data than other encryption techniques. The micro-certificate may include an identifier associated with an entity, as well as a public key certificate and digital signature superimposed upon one another.

The second message 330 may include the micro-certificate, encrypted ECI, and an encrypted SHA-1 (Secure Hash Algorithm-1) hash based on the ECI and nonce 331. The encrypted ECI and the encrypted SHA-1 hash may be encrypted by the private key 312 from the ECU. The telematics unit 301 may obtain a public key from the micro-certificate and use the public key to decrypt the encrypted ECI and encrypted SHA-1 hash. The telematics unit 301 may further perform a hash function on the decrypted ECI and the previously sent nonce, which allows the telematics unit 301 to verify that the ECI has not been altered.

In a further implementation, the telematics unit and the call center may communicate over a secure connection as well, permitting the reporting of ECI to the call center by the telematics unit with privacy and a high degree of confidence in the validity of the reporting. Implementation of a secure connection between the telematics unit and the call center using micro-certificates may be achieved by storing a private key at the telematics unit and providing the corresponding public key to the call center (e.g. by sending a micro-certificate including the telematics unit's public key to the call center from the telematics unit or from a CA).

Then, the telematics unit may receive a micro-certificate including the call center's public key (e.g. from the call center or from a CA). After extracting the public key from the micro-certificate, the telematics unit may encrypt any information to be sent to the call center using the call center's public key. The telematics unit may further perform a second encryption using the telematics unit's private key.

The encrypted information may then be sent to the call center, and the call center may decrypt it using the telematics unit's public key and the call center's private key. Through this process, the call center is able to ensure the confidentiality of the communication and verify the identity of the telematics unit.

The use of micro-certificates in secure communications is discussed in further detail in U.S. Pub. No. 2010/0202616, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. One skilled in the art will appreciate that other types and variations of cryptographic schemes may be used to protect the exchanges between the telematics unit and the ECU and between the telematics unit and the call center, and that the present invention is not limited to the exemplary cryptographic exchanges described above.

Turning now to FIG. 4, a process 400 is depicted illustrating two examples wherein an implementation of the described principles would produce advantageous results in connection with tampered-with or stolen ECUs. Given a situation where an ECU in a telematics-equipped vehicle has been tampered with 401 or a situation where an ECU was extracted from a stolen vehicle and installed into a telematics-equipped vehicle 403, when the vehicle is started 405, the telematics unit may query the ECUs of the vehicle as described above with respect to FIG. 2. Upon querying the ECUs and comparing the received ECI with the previously stored ECI 407, the telematics unit would determine that the ECI has changed for both a vehicle that has been tampered with and a vehicle that was newly installed with a stolen ECU.

The telematics unit could then notify the TSP of this difference 409, and the TSP may take appropriate action in response 411. For example, if the ECU has been tampered with, the TSP may notify the manufacturer such that the manufacturer may investigate whether there was a breach of warranty, and the TSP may also notify the user of the vehicle through the telematics unit that an ECU has been tampered with. If the ECU came from a stolen vehicle, the TSP may be able to determine that it came from a stolen vehicle based on the TSP's records of the ECUs associated with vehicles reported as stolen. The TSP may further notify the proper authorities, which may lead to discovery of a “chop shop” selling many stolen parts or other useful information.

Turning now to FIG. 5, a process 500 is depicted illustrating an exemplary situation wherein an implementation of the described principles would produce advantageous results in connection with a recall. Given a situation where a manufacturer realizes that a type of ECU or component connected with a type of ECU on a group of telematics-equipped vehicles is defective and issues a recall on those vehicles 501, a TSP may identify 503 all the telematics-equipped vehicles in that group that contain the defective component.

The TSP may perform the identification by checking its own records of ECI and may broadcast a message to telematics-equipped vehicles containing the defective component notifying them of the recall. The telematics unit may then further notify 505 a user of the vehicle of the recall, and may take further action 507 as appropriate. For example, if the defect is very serious, the telematics unit may goes as far as rendering the vehicle inoperable to protect the safety of users of the vehicle.

In an alternative implementation, the bad software does not touch the certificate on installation and the software is modified to always employ the legitimate (previous) image's known hash (prior to adding nonce) to the hash along with the querying telematics unit's latest nonce. This “faked” hash is then provided to the querying telematics unit to defeat a tuner with sophisticated capabilities. Two capabilities are needed in this alternative implementation: 1. The ECU can permit another ECU, like the telematics unit, to read it's program memory directly (or indirectly if interface CPU's software is inviolable.) 2. Upon performing a SHA1 Hash on the software in the ECU's FLASH, the telematics unit can use it's certificate to generate a signature and compare it to a previously calculated signature for the same ECU. The rest of the reporting logic is the same in this implementation.

It will be appreciated that the described system and method allow for utilizing a telematics unit on a telematics-equipped vehicle as a register for ECI associated with the ECUs in the vehicle. It will also be appreciated, however, that the foregoing methods and implementations are merely examples of the inventive principles, and that these illustrate only preferred techniques.

It is thus contemplated that other implementations of the invention may differ in detail from foregoing examples. As such, all references to the invention are intended to reference the particular example of the invention being discussed at that point in the description and are not intended to imply any limitation as to the scope of the invention more generally. All language of distinction and disparagement with respect to certain features is intended to indicate a lack of preference for those features, but not to exclude such from the scope of the invention entirely unless otherwise indicated.

The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in the context of describing the invention (especially in the context of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. The terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and “containing” are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning “including, but not limited to”) unless otherwise noted. Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the invention.

Accordingly, this invention includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the invention unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.

Claims

1. A method for using a telematics unit on a telematics-equipped vehicle as a register for electronic control unit (ECU) critical information (ECI), the method comprising:

receiving, at the telematics unit, ECI from at least one ECU within the telematics-equipped vehicle;

determining whether the ECI received from the at least one ECU is different from previously stored ECI associated with the at least one ECU;

recording differences between the ECI received from the at least one ECU and the previously stored ECI associated with the at least one ECU; and

transmitting, from the telematics unit to a call center, ECI received from the at least one ECU that is different from previously stored ECI associated with the at least one ECU.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the ECI received from the at least one ECU includes at least one of the following: a serial number associated with the at least one ECU; configuration data associated with the at least one ECU; and a software image associated with the at least one ECU.

3. The method according to claim 1, the method further comprising:

before the ECI is received from the at least one ECU within the telematics-equipped vehicle, sending, from the telematics unit to the at least one ECU, a query that requests the ECI associated with the at least one ECU.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the query is sent each time the telematics-equipped vehicle is started.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the ECI received from the at least one ECU is encrypted and the method further comprises:

after receiving the ECI from at least one ECU within the telematics-equipped vehicle, decrypting the ECI.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the query includes a nonce.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the nonce is one of the group consisting of: GPS (Global Positioning System) time and GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) time.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein a micro-certificate and a digital signature are further received at the telematics unit.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the digital signature is an encrypted SHA-1 (Secure Hash Algorithm-1) hash based on the ECI and the nonce.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the micro-certificate includes a public key for decrypting the ECI.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the call center maintains records of ECI transmitted to the call center from the telematics unit.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transmission of ECI from the telematics unit to the call center is cryptographically protected.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the cryptographic protection utilizes micro-certificates.

14. The method according to claim 1, the method further comprising:

updating, at the telematics unit, the previously stored ECI associated with the at least one ECU with the ECI received from the at least one ECU if the previously stored ECI and the received ECI are determined to be different.

15. A non-transient computer readable medium, part of a telematics unit on a telematics-equipped vehicle, having thereon computer executable instructions for detecting changes in electronic control unit (ECU) critical information (ECI) and maintaining records of ECI, the computer executable instructions comprising:

instructions for querying at least one ECU within the telematics-equipped vehicle for ECI;

instructions for comparing ECI received from the at least one ECU with previously stored ECI associated with the at least one ECU;

instructions for recording differences in the ECI received from the at least one ECU and the previously stored ECI associated with the at least one ECU; and

instructions for transmitting ECI received from the at least one ECU that is different from previously stored ECI associated with the at least one ECU to a call center.

16. The non-transient computer readable medium according to claim 15, wherein the computer executable instructions further comprise:

instructions for updating the previously stored ECI associated with the at least one ECU with the ECI received from the at least one ECU if the previously stored ECI and the received ECI are different.

17. The non-transient computer readable medium according to claim 15, wherein the computer executable instructions further comprise:

instructions for decrypting the ECI received from the at least one ECU.

18. The non-transient computer readable medium according to claim 17, wherein the computer executable instructions further comprise:

instructions for verifying and extracting a key from a received micro-certificate.

19. A method for using a telematics unit associated with a telematics-equipped vehicle to determine whether an electronic control unit (ECU) on the telematics-equipped vehicle came from a stolen vehicle, the method comprising:

receiving, at a call center, ECU critical information (ECI) associated with ECUs on a plurality of telematics-equipped vehicles, wherein the ECI includes one or more serial numbers associated with the ECUs;

maintaining, at the call center, records of the ECI associated with the ECUs including information corresponding the one or more serial numbers of ECUs to particular vehicles; and

receiving, at the call center from a telematics unit, new information indicating that an ECU with a serial number corresponding to one particular vehicle is installed on a different vehicle, wherein the one particular vehicle is known to be stolen.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the communications between the call center and the telematics unit are cryptographically protected using micro-certificates.