MEPHYsto

Feasibility study on the design of PFH-dependent dynamically generated CRC checksums for safety-critical wireless communication

MEPHYsto

As a feasibility study by the Distr@l funding program of the Hessian State Chancellery in the area of the Minister for Digital Strategy and Development

16.07.2020-15.07.2021

In a security-relevant application, the error-free transmission of data is essential. Therefore, measures for error prevention, error detection and error correction are required to ensure safe communication. The requirements for the relevant safety parameters and the necessary measures for the safe transmission of data are specified in numerous standards for functional safety, such as IEC 61508. One of these measures is the safeguarding of the exchanged messages by means of the so-called cyclic redundancy check (CRC), a mathematical method based on polynomial division. Currently, the CRC check is performed statically, with a predefined polynomial for a specific communication process. However, due to today's technological possibilities and the complexity of industrial processes, the parameters in a communication system can vary greatly during the communication process. This is particularly true for wireless communication systems (Wireless, Bluetooth, LTE, G5), which are to be used in Industry 4.0, IoT etc.. This increases the need for variable design of security measures during ongoing communication.

This is where the MEPHysto approach comes in: the classic static CRC method is integrated into a new type of dynamic procedure so that several polynomials are available and can be used depending on the current communication parameters.

The aim of the MEPHysto research project is to design a concept for the described procedure and to implement it as a prototype in order to test the feasibility of the described dynamic approach in realistic scenarios and under the current safety requirements during the subsequent validation.