“The whole thing was going haywire, even the brakes failed. Very scary.” said a driver after an automotive security company hacked his vehicle in a controlled environment.
With more than 125 million[1] cars set to be connected globally by 2022, and Gartner[2] predicting that a fifth of all cars will have WiFi by 2020, security is a very real and growing problem.
For consumers, connected cars make driving a more enjoyable and efficient experience, offering benefits such as intelligent vehicle health checks, the ability to watch movies and other media, and even peer-to-peer (P2P) car sharing. There are significant benefits for business too, with manufacturers, parts producers, fuelling stations and tourist attractions able to harness data produced by connected cars and use the resulting insights to offer products and services that better meet driver needs. So, for connected cars to become an integral part of consumers lives, data security must be stepped up.
Hazard awareness: Identifying the risks
While car manufacturers were previously concerned about physical forced entry into vehicles, they must now turn their attention to sophisticated hackers using connected cars as a way to steal user data.
At the least dangerous end of the scale the risks include hackers using ransomware to take control of infotainment systems and demand payment in exchange for users regaining control of their devices.
But as more parts of the car become connected, the dangers grow. Smart locks are fast becoming a feature of many cars, allowing drivers the added convenience of keeping their keys in their pocket when they open up and start the car, and driving the growth of the P2P car sharing economy by giving approved individuals access to a lender’s car without having to meet face to face. However, without the proper protections, drivers
