A Comprehensive Threat Model for Autonomous Vehicle Communication Security

The rapid advancement of autonomous vehicles (AVs) promises to enhance transportation efficiency, reliability, and safety. However, these systems, particularly multi-channel vehicular communications, are vulnerable to cyber attacks that threaten authenticity, authorization, confidentiality, integrity, availability, and non-repudiation. The 2014 Chrysler Jeep hack highlights the urgent need for robust security measures in vehic-ular communications. This study utilizes the STRIDE, DREAD, and MITRE ATT&CK security frameworks to develop a comprehensive threat model that identifies and assesses critical threats and risks to AV communications. By detailing specific attack vectors and their multidimensional impacts and criticality, the study establishes a baseline of threats for communication security in vehicular networks. It produces visual threat maps, impact graphs of various attacks, and a color-coded threat grid to guide stakeholders in developing effective cyber security measures for protecting AV communications, thereby help stakeholders to improve the reliability and safety of AV navigation for fostering growth in the AV industry.