Uptane Automotive Secure Software Update Framework Applied to Robotic an Autonomous Systems

Software updates provide critical new functionality and security improvements to commercial and military vehicles. Organizations across the Department of Defense (DoD) are recognizing that it is essential to harden robotic and autonomous systems (RAS) from cyber adversaries. A secure software-over-the-air (SOTA) update system for military RAS has been implemented building on the Uptane framework designed for the automotive industry. The presence of complex filesystems and virtual machines (VMs) on a RAS pose challenges unlike those encountered in the typical vehicle case Uptane is designed for, and the implemented update system was adapted to address those challenges. The current implementation has been verified to support a small number of RAS and is specifically designed for an MRZR RAS running ROS 2; future plans include supporting fleets of varying vehicle types.