Software Updates Monitoring & Anomaly Detection

Abstract

: Security is becoming a must in the current all-connected paradigm. Software updates are essential to fix any new identified security flaw or vulnerability that may appear as they normally are the fastest and cheapest solution. Nevertheless, a software update targeted to fix a determined issue could end up in a different problem. In order to detect these new issues, systems should be able to gather monitoring data so that possible effects and consequences are observed and characterized. This is specially relevant when upgrades are performed remotely, like in road vehicles, and no prior outcome information is available to the manufacturer. In this paper, a software updates monitoring, an anomaly detection procedure and a proof-of-concept are presented. The monitoring and anomaly detection approach enable the detection of performance anomalies that could result for instance, from malicious code installation during an update. This offline monitoring information can also be used for further system design improvements and to facilitate the review and assessing processes of security issues.