Cyber security has long been a staple in the world of technology, but recognition and acceptance of its importance in the automotive industry has taken much longer. From here on out, cyber security will need to be considered a core component of any new vehicle which is released to the market, but at this very early stage, achieving this is easier said than done.
Almost all new vehicles have at least basic levels of connectivity, but preparing a comprehensive and flexible cyber security solution for autonomous vehicles is perhaps the biggest challenge facing the automotive industry.
Despite the highly competitive nature of the industry, a key piece of the puzzle in the fight against automotive cyber crime is collaboration… automotive cyber security is a challenge too great for any one company to solve alone
While the technology that will secure the connected and autonomous vehicles of the future is already being prototyped, tested and released, how the blueprint for these solutions will look and operate a decade down the line remains unclear. This, in turn, is making ever more challenging the question of how to design cyber security solutions which are comprehensive and future proof.
But all is not lost. The industry is already taking the necessary first steps to begin preparing itself for what is to come, and there is some low-hanging fruit that can already be reached.
For example, companies can and should now be running internal audits to determine exactly what libraries and open-source software they are using, in order to give a clearer picture as to what may be the current weakest link in the cyber security chain.
From here on out, cyber security will need to be considered a core component of any new vehicle which is released to the market, but at this very early stage, achieving this is easier said than done
And despite the highly competitive nature of the industry, a key piece of the puzzle in the fight against automotive cyber crime is collaboration. Those companies who are members of the Auto-ISAC, or those that are running bug bounty programmes to weed out vulnerabilities within current connected vehicles, have already realised that automotive cyber security is a challenge too great for any one company to solve alone.
In a world that is becoming increasingly connected and complex, there are simply too many dots to join for any automaker to be able to confirm that its vehicle will fully protected on the virtual battlefield. Here, however, cooperation will at least give the industry the chance to reinforce as much ground as possible. To learn more about the innovation taking place in the world of cyber security for the autonomous vehicle, download Automotive World’s Special report: How do you secure the autonomous vehicle?
