This repository contains the evaluation source code used in our NDSS paper Brokenwire: Wireless Disruption of CCS Electric Vehicle Charging.
Brokenwire is a novel attack against the Combined Charging System (CCS), one of the most widely used DC rapid charging technologies for electric vehicles (EVs). The attack interrupts necessary control communication between the vehicle and charger, causing charging sessions to abort. The attack can be conducted wirelessly from a distance using electromagnetic interference, allowing individual vehicles or entire fleets to be disrupted simultaneously. In addition, the attack can be mounted with off-the-shelf radio hardware and minimal technical knowledge. With a power budget of 1 W, the attack is successful from around 47 m distance. The exploited CSMA/CA behavior is a required part of the HomePlug GreenPHY, DIN 70121 & ISO 15118 standards and all known implementations exhibit it.
Brokenwire has immediate implications for many of the 12 million battery EVs estimated to be on the roads worldwide — and profound effects on the new wave of electrification for vehicle fleets, both for private enterprise and for crucial public services. In addition to electric cars, Brokenwire affects electric ships, airplanes and heavy duty vehicles. As such, we conducted a disclosure to industry and discuss in our paper a range of mitigation techniques that could be deployed to limit the impact.
You can also learn more about Brokenwire on our website.
This repository is organized as follows:
. # root directory of the repository
├── code # contains the evaluation source code
│ ├── lab_evaluation # files used for the lab evaluation
│ │ └── collect_data.py # Python script used to evaluate Brokenwire in a controlled lab setting
│ ├── lib # various Python classes required for the evaluation
│ │ │── EvaluationUtils.py # library that helps running the lab evaluation
│ │ └── IPerfEvaluation.py # Python class used for the lab evaluation
│ ├── req # text file that contains all the Python requirements
│ └── scripts # directory that contains additional evaluation scripts
│ └── preamble_emission.py # Python script that emits the preamble with a LimeSDR
├── data # directory that contains required files
│ └── preambles # directory that contains the preamble
│ └── captured_preamble.dat # captured preamble used for the attack
├── docker-compose.yml # configuration file of the Docker container
├── Dockerfile # build instructions for the Docker container
└── README.md # this README file
This repository contains all configuration and source code files necessary to run the Brokenwire attack.
To ensure a quick and easy deployment, we provide a Dockerfile to build a container with all the required dependencies.
Please note, to immediately get started with this repository, you will need docker, docker-compose and a LimeSDR.
The following steps outline how to build and run the Docker container and execute the Brokenwire attack:
git clone https://github.com/ssloxford/brokenwire.gitcd brokenwire/docker-compose builddocker-compose up -d
Once the container is up and running, you can attach to it
docker attach brokenwire
and run the following command to start the attack:
python3 /home/code/scripts/preamble_emission.py --lime-sdr-gain LIMESDR_GAIN
where LIMESDR_GAIN is a value between -12 and 64.
To run the Brokenwire attack, a software-defined radio that can transmit at a center frequency of 17 MHz with a sample rate >= 25MSPS is required. While any SDR with the these properties should work, our source code is tailored to the use of a LimeSDR. Since Brokenwire is a very effective attack and does not require a high transmission power, testing the attack should not require any additional amplification.