Cybersecurity A Key Challenge for the Automotive Industry

Christopher
Technology Innovations
4 min readNov 29, 2019
Photo by chuttersnap on Unsplash

The fundamental challenge of cybersecurity is not new. They have existed as long as computers have been used in sensitive applications in various industries. Industries face these issues following their level of dependency on computer technology on different timescales and context. Likewise in the automotive sector, the potential capabilities fueled by connected technology.

offer a multitude of features and services, but with them arises the threat of spiteful attacks. For critical systems security is highly relevant and cannot be compromised. As no solution is foolproof against hackers and abuse, a strong security culture where security is specified across functions, systematically developed and continuously verified and validated is a need of the hour.

The higher complexity of the vehicle’s electronic system and increasing vehicle volume worldwide are continually on the rise which is driven by the acceleration of market requirements. Users expect the car to be safe, which is achieved by electronic driver assistance systems including parking, speed regulation, blind-spot detection, pre-collision and many more. The vehicle is expected to be more comfortable in the aspects including automatic cooling, seat adjustment, performance control, a complete infotainment system and so on.

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Best Practices Toward Secure Automotive System

For reducing the attack surface and protecting critical assets against a variety of threats specific security countermeasures should be applied. Well crafted strategies with best practices and guidelines are always a guarantee. Critical assets need to be protected using a multilayered security approach to reduce the impact of an intrusion. A security framework should be built-upon a defense strategy including a secure interface with the external world, secure network architecture, hardware security modules, reliable supply chain and end-to-end security strategy protecting the chain of loyalty. The countermeasures applied can be:

• Secure in-vehicle communication using mature commercial-off-the-shell cryptographic products for functions such as onboard network segregation, intrusion detection or data filtering.

• Electronic control units hardening by deleting interfaces and services used for development when the vehicle is prepared for release.

• Performing regular surveys on cybersecurity evolution, from an intrusion and defense point of view.

• To counter security monoculture rely on technology diversity

• Maintain security surveillance techniques such as firmware, software updates, and continuous vulnerability management. Maintainability is a significant enabler for extended cryptographic-based protection.

The automotive industry has made substantial progress in recent years in establishing measures in functional safety and security.

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The Impact of Cybersecurity Risks in Automotive Industry:

Artificial intelligence and deep learning are growing on the application scale in the automotive industry. Automotive companies are working on customer demands in providing more advanced products with risk-free cybersecurity programs.intelligen and deep learning is growing on the application scale in the automotive industry. Automotive companies are working on customer demands in providing more advanced products with risk-free cybersecurity programs.

In the past years, cyber attacks have increased in different forms (malware and ransomware). The automotive industry is working on policies to avoid dramatic consequences and ensure passenger's safety and system security.

Lack of cybersecurity skills in the supply chain resources, developer's need for cybersecurity training and planning are a few critical issues faced by automotive companies. Addressing such issues and security risks in vehicles is the present cybersecurity practice.

The involvement of big companies like Apple or Google has increased the number of autonomous cars. Connected cars with autonomous technology have complex internal networks linking together with different components like sensors, brakes or steering wheel of the vehicles. Functions like automated parking and speed regulation or in-line driving are made available to the customer’s AI-enabled networks and software.

Artificial intelligence has made it possible for cars to have several same functions as electric consumer devices.

Automotive companies are now following the Automotive SPICE initiative that aims at enhancing quality and controlling process norms such as ISO 26262 for the safety of vehicles and passengers on the roads.

According to an industrial source, the impact on cybersecurity risks is found to be that of 30–35 percentage which has made companies to implement the cybersecurity programs.

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Christopher
Technology Innovations

I am a technology blogger, who loves to read and write on the latest in technology.