Thales and Tata communication bringing secure connectivity to the cars with Korea Telecom

Thales, a global leader in digital security, announces with Tata communication and Korea Telecom a new cooperation for the development of the car industry.

While bringing more connectivity to the cars with Korea Telecom especially with the 5G, Thales and TATA Communications elaborate new solutions to protect data at rest and in motion on all IoT devices starting with connected cars.

On 21 May 2019, KT and Gemalto, a Thales company, reached a mutual understanding to collaborate on the Connected Car Joint Project Promotion with a view to providing a more varied and safer connected car service in the growing development of autonomous driving.

This collaboration will combine Korea’s state-of-the-art connected car platform, developed by KT, and the wireless module technology developed by Thales’s Digital Identity & Security business, which now includes Gemalto, a leading supplier of IoT modules to the automotive industry.

KT and Gemalto plan to extend their cooperation on the 5G connected car project beyond merely sharing the technology that they currently own. In order to fulfil this objective, the companies plan to integrate KT’s GiGA Stealth technology directly into Gemalto’s wireless module.

The module connects the vehicle to the outside world via radio communication technology, and it thus a vital part of the solution and enables remote features such as vehicle control and tracking, and reception of current traffic conditions.

Thanks to this collaboration with Gemalto, a Thales company, KT aims to establish a trusted security ecosystem for its connected car programmes and strengthen its leadership in this market.

GiGA Stealth is KT’s network security technology based on the future blockchain ID that will lead the hyperconnected era of 5G and the IoT.

Conventional Internet communications based on IP addresses are vulnerable to hacking due to exposure of the user’s IP address. In contrast, GiGA Stealth technology only provides destination identifiers to users who have previously had their ID verified through blockchain technology.

The user’s IP remains hidden, preventing access by hackers. In an automotive context, if an unknown individual attempts to access a vehicle remotely, GiGA Stealth hides the IP address of the target vehicle or makes it inaccessible to the system requesting access.

Dong Myeon Lee, CEO of KT Future Platform Operation Division, stated: “GiGA Stealth technology provides the hyper-security needed for the 5G era, and we are confident that the security of the connected car service will improve through the collaboration with Thales, through Gemalto, a leading supplier of IoT solutions.

“Vehicle security will be a core future technology, and both companies will continuously cooperate to lead the security ecosystem for the 5G connected car and to support the information and safety of customers.”

Phillippe Vallee, Executive Vice President Digital Identity & Security at Thales, said “Security is key in the 5G era. KT’s GiGA Stealth technology uses blockchain technology to address a potential weakness in the widespread deployment of 5G, and I believe it will provide the environment for consumers to freely enjoy the benefits of this new age of connectivity.

“Thales, through Gemalto, is pleased to participate in the GiGA Stealth project, and we look forward to collaborating further with KT in many other fields.”