“Digital Shield” protects systems and components against cyber threats

Modern vehicles, whether from the passenger car, commercial vehicle or off-highway segment, resemble mobile data centers today. All systems and components are networked with each other. This brings numerous advantages, but also offers hackers and malware potential gateways. The longer a product is on the market, the greater the risk of security gaps in the systems. "Unlike product defects, the number of which decreases over time, the risk of cyber threats increases over the years," explains Oliver Huppenbauer, Global Cybersecurity Manager from Marquardt. "Nobody knows today the threats that will arise for a product in five, ten or fifteen years. With “Digital Shield”, we offer our customers worldwide an adequate solution."

Fully Automated Comparison with Threat Databases The frontend monitoring of “Digital Shield”, a fully automated cloud service with high reliability, uses a digital twin to continuously compare all software and hardware parts of a Marquardt component for potential threats with national and international databases. If a new threat affects parts of the product, Marquardt carries out an assessment of possible risks and effects and, if required, develops solutions as a countermeasure, for example by patching the software, including comprehensive documentation of the entire process. To make this possible even years after product development, Marquardt archives all relevant data and the source code of a product in order to react quickly in the event of a threat. As a positive side effect, updates or further developments are still possible years after a product launch.

Safety Net with a Flexible Term The running time of “Digital Shield”, which Marquardt offers as a service, is freely selectable. Vehicle manufacturers can decide for themselves how long they want to maintain cybersecurity for their components. This also ensures the necessary flexibility with regard to the development of future legal deadlines.

The EU Obliges Manufacturers to Ensure Cybersecurity Future cyber threats are being countered at European and international level through regulations and standards. The Cyber Resilience Act, passed by the EU Parliament in 2024, requires all industries to ensure the resilience of their products against cyber threats over their entire life cycle. Specifically for the automotive industry, the regulation UN/ECE-R 155 standardises transnational requirements, without which vehicle manufacturers, among others, will not receive certification and approval for road traffic in the EU.

Cyber Expertise for Other Industrial Sectors Too The current and planned legal regulations will continue to fuel the demand for cybersecurity solutions worldwide: "The need to be able to react to vulnerabilities and new threat situations will increase, not just in the automotive industry. In the end, the Internet of Things - will connect all devices, from networked toys and smart home products to complex server structures and control units”, says Oliver Huppenbauer. Marquardt recognised this development early on and has been building up the relevant expertise since the 1990s, not least through the development of driving authorisation systems that are subject to high safety requirements. The mechatronics specialist is also involved in numerous networks and worldwide panels on cybersecurity.

The “Digital Shield” cybersecurity management system, which Marquardt has developed over the past five years, is the result of these many years of expertise. It is now available for Marquardt customers.