Vehicles are quickly transforming from a simple means of transportation for getting from point A to point B, into complex computers on wheels that are increasingly “smart” and deeply integrated into our digital lifestyles.
Becoming more intelligent and connected will definitely allow vehicles to bring multiple benefits to automakers and consumers alike. But along with these benefits comes an increased exposure to cybersecurity threats. While addressing cybersecurity threats has become common practice for consumer devices such as personal computers and smart phones, cybersecurity for connected vehicles with rapidly evolving technologies and more complex attack surfaces is still going through the process of being studied and fully understood.
Rest assured cybersecurity in the automotive industry is being taken very seriously and actively worked on given human lives are at stake, but it’s not a simple undertaking. Ideally, all connected vehicles should be continually monitored to protect, detect, and mitigate cybersecurity attacks. Accomplishing this will rely on a vehicle’s ability to continually transmit data to and from the cloud, and dynamically deploy threat mitigation tactics via software updates. Over-the-air (OTA) software and data management solutions such as Airbiquity’s OTAmatic® product will makes this possible.
This video provides a summary of connected vehicle cybersecurity issues and perspective on an emerging security system called Uptane: the first compromise-resilient software update security system designed specifically for automotive.