International standard recognition validates security management capabilities

Company eyes expansion of global automaker software projects

From left, Park Sung-yul, executive vice president and head of LG Uplus's Enterprise Business Innovation Group; Hong Kwan-hee, executive vice president and chief information security officer and chief privacy officer at LG Uplus; and Frank Juettner, CEO of TUV Rheinland Korea, pose for a photo at a ceremony marking the company's ML3 automotive cybersecurity certification. [LG Uplus]
From left, Park Sung-yul, executive vice president and head of LG Uplus's Enterprise Business Innovation Group; Hong Kwan-hee, executive vice president and chief information security officer and chief privacy officer at LG Uplus; and Frank Juettner, CEO of TUV Rheinland Korea, pose for a photo at a ceremony marking the company's ML3 automotive cybersecurity certification. [LG Uplus]

LG Uplus has become the first South Korean telecommunications company to obtain ML3 certification under the international automotive cybersecurity standard, the company said Tuesday, recognizing its ability to build and apply a security management framework throughout the vehicle software development process.

The company said it received the Cybersecurity Management System Level 3 certification — known as ML3 — based on the international standard ISO/SAE 21434.

The certification is issued by global testing and certification body TUV Rheinland and evaluates whether a company's cybersecurity management framework for vehicle software development and operations meets international standards.

LG Uplus held a certification ceremony Monday at its Yongsan headquarters in Seoul, attended by Park Sung-yul, head of the Enterprise Business Innovation Group; Hong Kwan-hee, head of the Information Security Center; and Frank Juettner, CEO of TUV Rheinland Korea. The certification is valid for three years.

ISO/SAE 21434 is an international standard for managing cybersecurity risks across the entire vehicle lifecycle, from planning and development through operation and maintenance.

LG Uplus established a security management framework based on the standard last year, achieving ML2 status. The company subsequently upgraded its security framework for in-vehicle infotainment software development and applied it to actual development projects with global automakers, earning the ML3 certification.

ML3 goes beyond simply establishing a security management framework — it evaluates whether a company can execute that framework in real-world software development and operations.

LG Uplus currently develops and operates in-vehicle infotainment software for global automakers including Toyota, Lexus and Mercedes-Benz.

Building on the certification, the company plans to meet the cybersecurity requirements of global automakers and expand related projects. It intends to apply the certified management framework sequentially to new vehicle software projects and further develop AI-powered vehicle security monitoring and response technology.

"This certification is meaningful because it recognizes that we have built a cybersecurity management framework that meets international standards across the entire vehicle software lifecycle — from development to operation — and that we have the capability to execute it in actual projects," Park said. "We will expand cooperation with global automakers and continue to strengthen our competitiveness in the vehicle software business."

Meanwhile, LG Uplus announced in August that it would supply its in-house developed real-time video service "Live TV+" for the new Mercedes-Benz S-Class. At the time, the company passed Mercedes-Benz's technology, quality and security review to be registered as an official software supplier, and said it plans to extend the service to other new vehicle models going forward.


woo@heraldcorp.com