CAN't track us: Adaptable privacy for ISOBUS controller area networks

Abstract

Modern information technologies have revolutionized agriculture in many ways. Today, positioning systems along with Internet of Things technologies enable Smart Faming with site-specific applications and interconnected machinery. Current machines and implements are equipped with multiple sensors and actors that are embedded in the machine's Controller Area Network (CAN) using ISOBUS. In operation, such components continuously produce and exchange internal and environmental sensor information. However, CAN communication is not secure and privacy issues arise whenever different actors are involved in collaborative tasks. In this paper, we present CAN't, a modular privacy framework for collaborative Smart Farming. The core of the framework is a special proxy that allows to apply privacy filters to selected CAN/ISOBUS data streams. Moreover, it allows to agree on the accessible level of information content for each actor. We implemented a proof-of-concept prototype based on low-cost commercial off-the-shelf hardware. Its evaluation comprises technical and privacy aspects. By using real-world ISOBUS traces as well as a commercial CAN hardware simulator, the feasibility of our approach is shown.