The proposed activity is focused on the development of the first building blocks of a quantum and cryptanalysis secure remote software update system for satellites. The unique feature of the proposed remote software update system is the use of the ITS authentication algorithm “WCA” to protect the software installation packages. Accordingly,  it is the objective of this activity do develop the implementation of the cryptographic WCA algorithm in a cryptographic FPGA chip and the related cryptographic features of the remote software update system.

To reduce complexity in this activity, certain security features of the remote update software system are not implemented. For instance, countermeasures against rollback attacks, fast-forward attacks, freeze attacks, and attacks on the design and implementation of software and hardware components, are not considered and will be implemented in follow-up activities. Also, the implementation of a hybrid cryptographic authentication method that would use PQC cryptographic algorithms approved by NIST and/or European security Agencies in combination with the WCA algorithm will be implemented in follow-up activities. The outcome of this activity will be a POC of the remote software update system with TRL 4, implemented via a hardware- and software-based demonstrator that performs the complete process of a quantum and cryptanalysis secure remote software update in laboratory environment. The demo is also including a cryptographic-agility demonstration via the update of cryptographic algorithms (within the FPGA) from AES128 to AES256 and the update of the pre-shared symmetric keys. The following lists shows the features implemented in this activity and the features required to be develop in future activities to complete the final product.