Moving Forward May Have You Choosing to Move Backward

For the time being security of vehicles seems to be pretty well in control if you like your vehicle open to the world to possibly hack in and control.  Many of us may or may have not thought about the numerous points of access our vehicles, especially new ones, offer to hackers who could easily break in an steal information and codes which could allow them access to our personal information or in a more malicious manner, offer access to the control functions of our vehicles.  Imagine driving down the highway when suddenly you lose control and the car goes careening over a cliff; would someone actually be this malicious?  Unfortunately this is a real possibility and yes there are people out there this malicious.

How have we gotten this far without thinking about ç?  When computer networks called the CAN network started being used in 1986 they were not set up for security.  The language and communications at this point was only for a vehicle which needed to communicate within so security was not a consideration at all.  When the OBD-II system began the need for security still was not present, but in today’s highly connected world the need has become real.

For several years the thought has been that hacking into a car required physical access, but that has become less true the more technology and connectivity is placed in vehicles.  Most of the hacks that have already been performed professionally have been done with some form of physical access to the vehicle.  Even though that is the case, a few have already been successful remotely because of the new infotainment systems that are quickly being put in place in vehicles.  These new infotainment systems are akin to an open invitation to your information in the car, but would for the most part still require a hacker to know a great deal about the vehicle and target a specific vehicle in order to hack in.

What does this mean for each of us?  For those of us who like the idea of buying a vehicle that offers so much connectivity they can pay for things like parking and gas right from the inside of their vehicle, a warning should be issued.  This situation offers a nearly open network and a car that offers this kind of connectivity has at least forty points of data access that can be hacked to gain access to your personal information.  Certainly this is nowhere near the security you want and will not protect you or your information if someone is after it.  As upsetting as it would be to have banking information stolen, the more malicious action of actually causing the car to become entangled in a collision is as likely in this case, which means a loss of control on the part of you the vehicle owner.

What is being done about this?  Right now there are experts looking for all the vulnerabilities of vehicles and helping automaker to create patches that will help secure data.  Going forward the standards will offer a set of principals regarding the required security of vehicles and some real time detections of breaches.  Automakers need to take a page or two from the books of the V2V and V2I networks where security was one of the first concerns that was put in place and the use of a closed network that requires physical hacking of a traffic signal box (which certainly is not likely) is the only way to hack or access the system at the moment.

Does this mean you need to turn your attention to older models that use much less connectivity to be the right choice to drive?  Not necessarily, but it’s a good idea to be wary of what you do and how you connect inside your vehicle.  While using social media is probably ok, making purchases can be a very bad idea.  It’s certainly a good idea to ask about the overall security in place for your systems when you buy a new vehicle along with staying updated regarding recalls and updates that are likely to be installed to help keep you in control of your vehicle and its data security.