Ensuring interoperability with the Open Immobilizer Protocol
Provides a defense strategy against man-in-the-middle attacks by incorporating low-frequency vector techniques.

Microchip Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: MCHP) today announced the industry's lowest-power Passive Entry/Passive Start (PEPS) solutions. The two new devices, the ATA5700 and ATA5702, offer an extended operating range of approximately 10 meters and operate at extremely low power, enabling up to three times longer battery life than competing products, even when operating in maximum sensitivity mode.

These devices feature the AES-128-based, open-source, royalty-free immobilizer protocol, enabling many customers to implement secondary sourcing strategies. Open-source protocols have proven to be more efficient, secure, and beneficial to OEMs than proprietary, closed protocols, as they facilitate broader, ongoing peer review across the industry, leading to better improvements.

Additionally, these devices feature built-in low-frequency (LF) vector calculation capabilities, enabling customers to establish effective defenses against relay attacks (man-in-the-middle) at no additional cost. Relay attacks on PEPS systems are one of the most challenging security challenges for automakers.

The ATA5700 and ATA5702 are designed for battery-powered applications where low power consumption is a key requirement, such as smart keys (PEPS) or complementary car access via mobile devices, smartphones, and wearables, while providing industry-leading positioning accuracy. These characteristics are crucial for automakers to verify the location of electronic keys inside and outside the vehicle, and to meet the 5cm accuracy requirement set by the auto insurance industry.

“The passive entry market is growing rapidly, driven by end-consumer demand for convenience features such as hands-free entry/locking and personalized welcome lighting,” said Matthias Kaestner, vice president of Microchip’s automotive business unit. “As these devices become more widespread, the need for secure solutions that are hack-proof becomes even more critical, and Microchip is pleased to be able to provide a solution that our customers need.”

Both the ATA5702 and ATA5700 integrate a 3D immobilizer, a 3D high-sensitivity LF receiver, a digital processing unit, a 128-bit encryption engine, an LF vector calculation unit, and a microcontroller. However, only the ATA5702 features a fractional phase-locked loop (PLL) RF transmitter that ensures a robust ultra-high frequency (UHF) link that is resistant to jamming and interference.