Connecting the vehicle to the Internet of Things, they have led to dramatically extended functionality, but they have opened up the traditionally closed vehicular system, making vehicles a more accessible and more attractive target to adversaries
The cyber security of connected vehicles is one of the biggest issues facing manufacturers today, says a report that recently has been published by the British research organisation TU Automotive. Three significant trends have led to this position: complexity, connectivity and content. Complexity is the worst enemy of security”, and yet the past few years have seen a rapid increase in the cyber complexity of vehicles, evidenced by: (i) a massive increase in lines of code in a vehicle – approximately 100 million currently, compared to around 8 million for an F-35 joint strike fighter; (ii) an increase in Electronic Computing Units to something around 100 currently in high-end vehicles, communicating on a multiplicity of networks; and (iii) a rise in heterogeneity of in-vehicle systems – these are now responsible for a massive range of critical and luxury features within vehicles. Connectivity has been exposed to wireless networks through the development of wireless communication interfaces. These interfaces are a double-edged sword – by connecting the vehicle to the Internet of Things, they have led to dramatically extended functionality, but they have opened up the traditionally closed vehicular system, making vehicles a more accessible and more attractive target to adversaries. Theft of personal information, leading to identity theft, is an attractive goal for cyber-criminals. Personal data is increasingly available in car networks as the cars themselves are more sophisticated, and smartphones and other devices are connected to them. The report looks into the vital role of effective and robust cyber security practices and systems in connected vehicles and the future of the automotive industry. Through looking at the vast array of recent precedent, available market solutions and the attack surface in the vehicle, the report will provide automotive players with the most comprehensive analytical paper on cyber security in the connected vehicle available today. Interviews with experts from automakers, government and security service providers and lessons taken from other industries to provide new and critical analysis to the evolving problem of cyber security in the vehicle.
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