Gemalto is providing the data security and encryption technology that will help protect the software that will power Faraday Future’s first intelligent electric car, and data collected from everyday use of its cars.

Alongside connectivity, security has been a key issue in both development and deployment, especially given the complexity of the car itself.

Faraday Future is working to deploy Gemalto SafeNet Hardware Security Modules (HSMs) and professional services to build and to secure the public key infrastructure (PKI) that will generate digital certificates used to authenticate the communication between the car, the backend systems and people. The PKI system can also store these certificates in a central repository, share them with other stakeholders and revoke them if needed.

A hardware security module (HSM) is a dedicated crypto processor that is specifically designed for the protection of the crypto key lifecycle. Hardware security modules act as trust anchors that protect the cryptographic infrastructure of some of the most security-conscious organizations in the world by securely managing, processing, and storing cryptographic keys inside a hardened, tamper-resistant device.

Every step of data flow is protected, such as in-car services such as over-the-air software updates and transport of data from the car, without making the data vulnerable to cyberattacks. In the future of autonomous cars and smart cities, the PKI system will prevent hackers from intercepting data passed to other cars, garages, parking meters or other connected infrastructure. Hackers also won’t be able to spoof authenticated access to the car itself.

Gemalto is working with Faraday Future to design, configure and deploy a private Microsoft Certificate Authority that will integrate into their existing architecture.

Gemalto’s Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS)-certified SafeNet HSMs are expected to be installed with Faraday Future’s internal server and are specifically designed to process, store and manage cryptographic keys inside a hardened, tamper-resistant device, making them an anchor for trusted access to networks and individual vehicle data.

Car manufacturers must design for security, otherwise the promise of connected cars becomes vulnerable. By working with Faraday Future, we aim to make security a standard for vehicle systems as they evolve.

—Kate Migon, Head of Automotive Americas for Gemalto