Publication

Cybersecurity of Ground Systems
2022

ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING CYBERSECURITY

by Austin Dodson; Patrick Saenz

Abstract

Electric vehicles (EVs) are growing in popularity in both the defense and commercial sectors, with mandates and directives helping to inspire greater adoption. This increased popularity requires testing of an EV’s connected systems to ensure security against cyberattacks. The research efforts presented in this paper show that the EV battery management system (BMS) and SAE J1772 charging standard are susceptible to cyberattacks. Spoofing attacks on the vehicle's J1772 charging interface can be used to limit or prevent charging of an EV’s battery. Penetration testing of an EV’s BMS shows how vulnerabilities can be exploited to successfully attack an EV through the Controller Area Network (CAN) bus on the vehicle. This paper also discusses the implications of these attacks from a defense standpoint with high-level protections also discussed.