This is the first of six articles related to automotive cybersecurity, and is a general overview of why it is an important subject, and why it is likely to become even more so. The next four articles will look at cybersecurity risks and solutions in your business and in your customers vehicles. I will make a number of suggestions to improve your cybersecurity. The sixth and final article in this series, will speculate on what may be to come and, ask you if you have implemented my suggestions!
To communicate, it is necessary to be connected. This has been the case for our personal and business operations for some time, and it is now becoming normal for vehicles to be connected too.
Vehicles
Connected cars will offer experiences similar to those on a mobile phone or a desktop voice assistant. Music on demand and social media are already available once the car and phone are connected. With these features integrated into the vehicle, manufacturers will unlock a new source of revenue, via streaming movies, for example.
Fully autonomous vehicles are a little way in the future, but connectivity is clearly becoming a must-have feature. All new cars on the road will probably have network connections as well as vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) connectivity by 2025.
Figure 1: Connectivity functions (Source: Bosch Media)
Vehicles will communicate with each other to gather data such as speeds, journey times, road conditions and weather. This has the potential to reduce carbon footprints by reducing congestion and accidents.
Businesses
Our businesses, large or small, are already connected and should be secure. Online booking and invoicing, parts ordering, data collection and much more is already the norm. We regularly connect vehicles, via an interface, first to our company network, then on to the internet, and finally to manufacturers portals. The potential for data breaches is, to be frank, a little scary! All the same issues we now experience doing business online, are amplified when we connect our customers’ vehicles. For these reasons, vehicle and business cybersecurity is essential.
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity is the act of protecting the devices and online services we use from theft or damage. This includes unauthorised access to laptops, computers, phones and tablets and now vehicles.
As vehicles get smarter, cybersecurity in the automotive industry is becoming a more pressing concern. Whether we’re turning vehicles into Wi-Fi hotspots or equipping them with millions of lines of code to create fully autonomous vehicles, they are more vulnerable than ever before to hacking and data theft.
It is essential that good practice is followed to maintain security.
It is also possible, in the very near future, that vehicle manufacturers will require technicians to be certified in some way before they allow us to connect with their portals for vehicle data or software updates.
Summary
Connectivity (for businesses and vehicles) is not just coming soon, it is already here. However, it is going to develop much further and has the potential to change the way we use and repair our vehicles. It could even change the way our vehicles use us!
The amount of data collected will be huge, and in huge data there is value. Indeed, it may become more of a profit line for vehicle manufacturers than the vehicles themselves, but we will have to wait and see. One thing is clear, the associated security risks will also be huge.
The second article in this series will examine the risks of inadequate cybersecurity in an automotive business.
Automechanika 2023
Automechanika Birmingham will return to the NEC on 6-8 June 2023. Cybersecurity will be an important part of the seminars and presentations. Come and learn more from a range of industry experts and exhibitors.
