NTT Communications Corp., the ICT solutions and international communications business within the NTT group, and DENSO Corp., the global manufacturer of mobility components offering advanced mobility technologies, systems and products, announced they will collaborate to develop the Security Operation Center for Vehicles (VSOC1) to respond to the threat of increasingly sophisticated cyber-attacks against vehicles.

Culminating from past efforts together, this collaboration combines the strengths of NTT Com and DENSO to establish and develop the technologies that comprise the VSOC (vehicle SOC) service and its operation systems. NTT Com provides its technological capabilities related to managed IT security, including networking, cloud computing and ICT SOC, while DENSO leverages its unique technologies related to information security, communications and data analysis, which it has cultivated in the areas of in-vehicle systems, vehicle cybersecurity and connected car development. The two companies, both of which have extensive expertise in the IT and mobility fields, will work together to provide robust VSOC services that can accurately respond to evolving vehicle-related cyber-attacks. 

The collaboration aims to provide key services that enable prompt incident response at car manufacturers and mobility providers. Services to be provided include:

• Vehicle monitoring and cyber-attack detection by automating the acquisition of log output from communications, connected servers, and security devices installed within vehicles
• Detection of cyber-attack trends along with the details of actual attacks against vehicles on an individual or fleet-wide basis
• Analysis of cyber-attacks and threats by expert security analysts, reporting of results and forensic information that facilitates recovery and response efforts, and real-time visualization and alerting for customers through a client portal site
• Reliable and highly available vehicle security monitoring on a global scale, built atop of NTT Com’s proven infrastructure and operational experience

As the number of vehicles facing threats from sophisticated cyber-attacks continues to grow, it is necessary to monitor connected cars, detect and analyze attacks at an early stage, and take appropriate measures. Through this collaboration, the two companies aim to provide VSOC services and accelerate their development to contribute to the realization of a safe and secure mobility society. 

NTT Com and DENSO began developing technology to detect and analyze vehicle cyber-attacks in 2017. Since 2020, the technology was further refined by simulating attack scenarios against vehicles and measuring responses to various events, including the detection of attacks and the analysis of the scope of impact using an experimental VSOC.