Automotive e-ssentials

TÜV SÜD is Designated Body for Cybersecurity and Software Updates 

Germany’s Federal Motor Authority (KBA) has designated TÜV SÜD as a Technical Service for cybersecurity and software updates in motor vehicles. UNECE Regulations R155 and R156, which came into effect in spring 2021, form the international regulatory framework for type approval and the certification of management systems. They define exactly which requirements OEMs must fulfil in the fields of cybersecurity and software updates. As a designated Technical Service, TÜV SÜD performs management system audits and prepares a comprehensive report on which KBA bases its type approval. This KBA designation enables TÜV SÜD to further expand its range of services catering to the design and development of connected and automated vehicles, thereby emphasising its position as one of the leading third-party service providers in this important future industry.

Our designation as a Technical Service for cybersecurity and software updates is a fundamental building-block in our service portfolio for OEMs, addressing all issues of automated and connected vehicles. In future, we will be able to assist our customers with all tasks related to type approval required by UN Regulations 155 and 156 for cybersecurity and software updates. As a Designated Body, we can now assess both the manufacturers’ management systems and the security architecture for their capabilities in the fields of cyber security and software updates, and prepare the test reports required by KBA for the issue of a type approval. The basis is formed by the first UNECE Regulations for automated driving functions and their associated Regulations for cyber security (R155) and software updates (R 156) as well as the General Safety Regulation (Reg. (EU) 2019/2144).

Cybersecurity is one of the core topics of the mobility of tomorrow. Our designation means that with immediate effect, manufacturers can rely on the expertise of our TÜV SÜD specialists in the development and type approval of their vehicles. We thus contribute significantly to vehicle safety and security, thereby supporting a quick and successful market launch for automated and connected vehicles.

Rapid market success

From cybersecurity and functional safety, testing and certification to approval and the design and development of regulatory framework conditions, we provide assistance and support right from the start. The provider of testing, inspection, and certification (TIC) services works with various partners at national, European, and international levels to drive the fast success of automated and connected vehicles. International standards and regulations are a key factor in this success, ultimately ensuring that all vehicles on our roads – irrespective of their country of origin – fulfil the same safety and security requirements. Safety and security, in turn, are the cornerstones of trust, and thus of the successful mobility of tomorrow. Given this, last year the UN member states agreed for the first time on a uniform and binding regulation for automated lane keeping systems (ALKS) in ECE-R-157. The regulatory framework is accompanied by the UNECE Regulations for Cyber Security (R155) and Software Updates (R156), which came into effect in late January. TÜV SÜD successfully passed the audits held by the Federal Motor Authority (KBA) and is now designated for these two regulations.