By Christian Nyakanyanga
Over the years our cars have got more and more connected to the world beyond the four doors. We started by syncing our music, connecting our phones via Bluetooth and then threw in some G.P.S navigation systems in there. Today our cars can fully connect to the internet and some even drive themselves. They have become computers on wheels and as with all computers our cars have become vulnerable to cyber-attacks.
The threat of car cyber-attacks is so real that the Federal Bureau of Investigations (F.B.I) have been conducting threat analysis on the impact an autonomous vehicle can have when compromised. While self-driving vehicles are still a few years away from being available to the general public the threat of being hacked via your car is real today.
Threat scenario
A real scenario today would be criminals driving up next to your car, connecting to the cars Bluetooth network and ransacking information from any connected devices. Â A more futuristic scenario would involve them taking control of the car and holding you for ransom all facilitated by the vehicles Controller Area Network (CAN).
Vehicle manufactures have started using a Controller Area Network (CAN) protocol that manages the communications between the cars computers, GPS, sensors and actuators .Unfortunately because they are car manufacturer’s and not information security experts this protocol can be broken by using a R200 hacking tool allowing hackers to control the car.
As our cars become a computer on wheels it means that they can get compromised by anyone, anywhere in the world as long as they have an internet connection. They don’t even have to drive up next to you.
Driver’s responsibility
While the scenario above might seem far-fetched it’s a real possibility that’s coming sooner than you think. As a vehicle owner it is up to you to ask some very important questions about your vehicles information systems. Is it okay to just plug in any device to the Bluetooth? Does the car have internet connectivity enabled and if so what security measures are in place to protect any devices connected to that network.
As the technology develops more questions will need to be asked and answered but a general awareness of the issue is a first step to action.
Manufactures responsibility
For a long time now car makers have been competing on the battlefront of Luxury and Performance. But a new dimension of Security has been added in. Success for car makers will rely on their ability to build secure ecosystems for the trusted operation of the vehicle as well as the ability to verify the security and integrity of all their systems that will be connecting to the car.
The first manufacturer to get this right will win the hearts, minds and trust of the driving public as well as guarantee smiles from shareholders.
