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Cybersecurity Pathways Towards CE-Certified Autonomous Forestry Machines

Mazen Mohamad, Ramana Reddy Avula, Peter Folkesson, Pierre Kleberger, Aria Mirzai, Martin Skoglund, Marvin Damschen

TL;DR

The paper tackles cybersecurity challenges for CE-certified autonomous forestry machines, framing the problem as a safety–cybersecurity integration within a system-of-systems forestry context. It reviews regulatory and standards landscapes, surveys forestry-specific cybersecurity gaps, and proposes an integrated risk-assessment approach guided by ISO/SAE 21434, IEC 62443, and IEC TS 63074, complemented by simulation-data validation. Key contributions include identifying forestry-specific characteristics, outlining a path to harmonize safety and security assessments, and proposing assurance-case–driven compliance strategies tailored to forestry. The work under the AGRARSENSE project aims to enable safer, more resilient autonomous forestry operations and informs future standardization and validation efforts in this niche domain.

Abstract

The increased importance of cybersecurity in autonomous machinery is becoming evident in the forestry domain. Forestry worksites are becoming more complex with the involvement of multiple systems and system of systems. Hence, there is a need to investigate how to address cybersecurity challenges for autonomous systems of systems in the forestry domain. Using a literature review and adapting standards from similar domains, as well as collaborative sessions with domain experts, we identify challenges towards CE-certified autonomous forestry machines focusing on cybersecurity and safety. Furthermore, we discuss the relationship between safety and cybersecurity risk assessment and their relation to AI, highlighting the need for a holistic methodology for their assurance.

Cybersecurity Pathways Towards CE-Certified Autonomous Forestry Machines

TL;DR

The paper tackles cybersecurity challenges for CE-certified autonomous forestry machines, framing the problem as a safety–cybersecurity integration within a system-of-systems forestry context. It reviews regulatory and standards landscapes, surveys forestry-specific cybersecurity gaps, and proposes an integrated risk-assessment approach guided by ISO/SAE 21434, IEC 62443, and IEC TS 63074, complemented by simulation-data validation. Key contributions include identifying forestry-specific characteristics, outlining a path to harmonize safety and security assessments, and proposing assurance-case–driven compliance strategies tailored to forestry. The work under the AGRARSENSE project aims to enable safer, more resilient autonomous forestry operations and informs future standardization and validation efforts in this niche domain.

Abstract

The increased importance of cybersecurity in autonomous machinery is becoming evident in the forestry domain. Forestry worksites are becoming more complex with the involvement of multiple systems and system of systems. Hence, there is a need to investigate how to address cybersecurity challenges for autonomous systems of systems in the forestry domain. Using a literature review and adapting standards from similar domains, as well as collaborative sessions with domain experts, we identify challenges towards CE-certified autonomous forestry machines focusing on cybersecurity and safety. Furthermore, we discuss the relationship between safety and cybersecurity risk assessment and their relation to AI, highlighting the need for a holistic methodology for their assurance.
Paper Structure (15 sections, 3 figures, 1 table)

This paper contains 15 sections, 3 figures, 1 table.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Background
  3. Challenges Towards the Certification of Autonomous Forestry Machines
  4. Functional Safety of a Partially-Autonomous Worksite
  5. Interplay between Safety and Cybersecurity
  6. Safety of the Intended Functionality
  7. Reliance on AI and Simulations
  8. Cybersecurity in Forestry
  9. Robotics in Forestry
  10. Specific Aspects of Forestry
  11. Cybersecurity in Similar Domains
  12. Cybersecurity Requirements in Related Standards
  13. Cybersecurity for System of Systems
  14. Discussion on Assurance and Compliance in Forestry
  15. Conclusion and Future Work

Figures (3)

  • Figure 1: An illustration of the forestry worksite including autonomous forwarders, drones, and human-operated harvesting machines. Image courtesy of Komatsu Forest AB.
  • Figure 2: Use case description (minimalistic): The collaborative drone allows for an additional point of view to eliminate occlusions caused by terrain obstacles.
  • Figure 3: Approach for understanding cybersecurity for an autonomous system of systems in the forestry domain.