About MAGIC

Project Overview

The vehicle industry has a long tradition of working actively with safety, both to prevent accidents and to investigate the root cause of accidents. In contrast, cybersecurity is a relatively new area within the automotive industry, where regulations have only recently begun to put requirements on vehicle manufacturers.

One topic subject to regulatory requirements is the digital forensics capability of a vehicle — a new and under-explored area for the automotive industry. Upcoming regulations, including the EU’s updated Product Liability Directive, are expected to place a greater burden of proof on vehicle manufacturers, requiring them to demonstrate that their products, including cybersecurity features, are free of defects.

MAGIC aims to provide the automotive industry with tools in the form of processes, methods, and mechanisms to aid forensics investigations and support liability investigations throughout the entire vehicle lifecycle — from development to deployment and post-incident analysis.

Benefits

• More efficient root cause analysis leading to faster product updates
• Increased trust in vehicle digital forensics evidence
• Guidance to engineers who want to design vehicles that aid forensics analysis
• Reduced manual labour through AI-driven automation of forensic data analysis

Scientific & Engineering Challenges

• C1
  ADF through AutomationCurrent ADF frameworks lack automation, necessitating innovative approaches that guarantee forensic soundness in automated processes related to data handling, such as event detection, preservation, and data collection.
• C2
  Cybersecurity and Cyber-ResilienceAutonomous vehicles have limited digital forensics capabilities and are prone to faults and cyber threats. The key challenge is ensuring real-time adaptability under adverse conditions.
• C3
  ScalabilityManaging ADF solutions for millions of vehicles presents significant challenges, including real-time data handling and system integrity at scale.
• C4
  Privacy and Data IntegritySafeguarding privacy is paramount when handling sensitive information related to road users, while verifying authenticity and ensuring integrity of collected data.

Project Vision

MAGIC will ensure the forensic soundness of preserved and collected data when providing information for liability determination in the aftermath of incidents. The project also advances automotive Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) through selective, dynamic, and robust logging to support evidence analysis after incidents. With real-time monitoring and adaptive responses, the integrity and safety of the system is ensured.

Project Details

Regulation Context

MAGIC directly addresses requirements from:

• UNECE R155 — Cyber Security and Cyber Security Management Systems for vehicles
• UNECE R156 — Software Update and Software Update Management Systems
• ISO/SAE 21434 — Road vehicles — Cybersecurity engineering
• UNR160 — Event Data Recorders (EDR) required in all new EU vehicles from July 2024
• EU Product Liability Directive — Enhanced burden of proof on manufacturers

Supports UN Sustainability Goals

MAGIC contributes to:

• SDG 9 — Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
• SDG 11 — Sustainable Cities and Communities