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Level 3 · Secure Developer

Secure ECU Developer

Build ECU software with secure boot, HSM-backed keys and hardened diagnostics.

Duration
8 weeks
Delivery format
Hybrid
Certification
AutoSec Secure Developer
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Overview

What This Program Is For

The gap between understanding secure boot and shipping it is measured in weeks of debugging. This program closes that gap on real automotive hardware — a verified chain of trust, an HSM-backed key hierarchy and SecOC applied to a live communication matrix, inside realistic timing budgets.

Implementation-focused training for embedded engineers. Secure boot, HSM integration, key handling, SecOC and diagnostic hardening on real automotive hardware.

Who should attend

  • Embedded software engineers building ECU firmware
  • Integration engineers responsible for bootloaders and flashing
  • Software architects specifying cryptographic services
  • Engineers supporting HSM configuration at a Tier-1 or OEM

Prerequisites

  • Embedded C experience
  • Automotive Cybersecurity Foundations

Curriculum

4 Modules Across 8 weeks

Every module is assessed. Durations are indicative for open cohorts and are compressed or extended for corporate delivery.

  1. Secure boot and chain of trust

    2 weeks

  2. HSM integration and key management

    2 weeks

  3. SecOC implementation

    2 weeks

  4. Diagnostic and debug hardening

    2 weeks

Learning outcomes

What You Take Back to Your Programme

Capability you can demonstrate, not topics you have been exposed to.

What you will be able to do

  • Implement a verified secure boot chain
  • Integrate an HSM-backed key hierarchy
  • Apply SecOC to a production communication matrix
  • Harden UDS diagnostic access control

  • Career outcomes

    • Secure Embedded Engineer
    • Firmware Security Engineer
    • Integration Lead

  • Capability levels

    • Secure Developer

  • Tools and skills

    • Automotive-grade evaluation boards
    • HSM firmware toolchain
    • Debugger and trace probe
    • SecOC configuration tooling
    • Key provisioning workbench

Labs included

Hands-On Time on Real Hardware

Lab access is included with this program, and the exercises below are assessed rather than optional.

  • Included lab
    2 assessed exercises

    AutoSec Secure Development Lab

    Harden ECU software on real hardware

    Objectives

    • Implement secure boot on an automotive microcontroller
    • Integrate an HSM-backed key hierarchy
    • Apply SecOC to a CAN communication matrix

    Practical exercises

    • Secure boot chain of trust
      advanced
      5 hours

      Build and verify a signed bootloader with rollback protection.

    • SecOC on a CAN bus
      advanced
      4 hours

      Add authentication and freshness to safety-relevant CAN frames.

  • Included lab
    2 assessed exercises

    AutoSec Crypto Lab

    Key management that survives production

    Objectives

    • Design a production key hierarchy
    • Provision keys securely at end of line
    • Operate certificate lifecycles for V2X and OTA

    Practical exercises

    • End-to-end key hierarchy
      advanced
      4 hours

      Model provisioning, rotation and revocation across supplier and OEM boundaries.

    • Cryptographic misuse hunt
      intermediate
      3 hours

      Identify weak modes, hardcoded keys and entropy failures in ECU firmware.

Certification mapping

Where This Sits in the Framework

How the program maps to the AutoSec Automotive Cybersecurity Capability Framework™ and the certification ladder.

Capability Framework

Secure Developer

Build secure ECU software, crypto stack integration, SecOC, Secure Boot and HSM skills.

  • Secure ECU development lifecycle
  • Automotive crypto stack
  • Secure Boot, HSM, SecOC and Secure Flash
  • Hardware security features of automotive microcontrollers

Certification

AutoSec Certified Professional

Confirms hands-on capability to design and build secure vehicle systems — architecture segregation, secure boot, HSM-backed key handling and SecOC.

Level 3 · Professional

Exam preparation

Format
hybrid
Duration
3 hours
Passing score
75%
Valid for
3 years
  • Hold the Practitioner certification
  • Complete Secure ECU Developer or Secure Automotive Architect
  • Pass a supervised practical assessment on lab hardware
See the full certification ladder

Common questions

Secure ECU Developer FAQ

What candidates and their managers ask before enrolling.

What programming experience is assumed?
Working embedded C, and comfort with a debugger. You do not need cryptographic background — key hierarchies and primitives are taught from the automotive constraint outward rather than from the mathematics.
Do we work on real hardware or a simulator?
Real automotive-grade microcontrollers with hardware security modules, in the AutoSec Secure Development Lab. Simulation cannot reproduce the startup timing pressure that shapes most secure boot design decisions.
Does the program cover key provisioning at end of line?
Yes, and it is one of the most valuable sections. A key hierarchy that cannot be injected safely in production is not a hierarchy, and provisioning is where otherwise sound designs commonly fail.

Ready to Start AutoSec Secure Developer?

Enrol as an individual, or talk to us about running this program for your engineering team.

Enroll NowBook Consultation