Standards for Embedded Computing Design

Here is a list of standards for embedded computing system design.  I will continue to add to this list.

• AUTOSAR: operating system and software configuration.
• MISRA C: coding standards for C in automotive systems.
• ISO 26262: safety for automotive E/E.
• NIST 7628: smart grid security.
• SAE AS5553A: hardware authentication.
• ARINC: ARINC standards for airplane design: 400 series for basic wiring; 500 series for analog instruments; 600 series for digital communications; 700 series for digital instruments; 800 series for networked aircraft.
• ASTM F2761: Standard for the Integrated Clinical Environment (ICE) for networked medical devices.
• DO-178C:  Standard for the certification of software in avionics.

Automotive Software

Toyota just settled a big case relating to its cars.  Here are two interesting blog posts with some details as well as the authors' opinions:

http://www.safetyresearch.net/2013/11/07/toyota-unintended-acceleration-and-the-big-bowl-of-spaghetti-code/


http://criticaluncertainties.com/2013/11/11/toyota-and-the-sphagetti-monster/

My big picture observation on this situation is that design methodology is very important. A bad design process is bound to produce poor designs.  And as the saying goes, you have to bake in safety, you can't bolt it on.  No amount of checking can make a bad design safe.

NIST Smart Grid Cybersecurity Guidelines

NIST has released a draft set of guidelines for smart grid cyber security which you can find here.  It's a big, three volume document and I have just started to read it.

Volume 1 concentrates on development, architecture, and high-level requirements.  It first presents a logical architecture of the smart grid, at least for the 1-3 year time frame and its major components; based on that architecture it identifies 22 logical interface categories.  It then specifies security requirements for each of the 22 interface categories.  It then goes onto describe cryptographic and key management issues.

Volume 2 concentrates on privacy.  Privacy is a key issue because the information that the smart grid uses to optimize energy usage can also divulge other properties that a customer or energy provider may not want to provide: how they use their facilities, when they are home, etc.

Volume 3 provides some additional analysies.  It talks about classes of vulnerabilities, provides a bottom-up security analysis of the smart grid, and identifies research and development themes for smart grid cyber security.  It also provides use cases for the power system relevant to security requirements.