Car Companies Might Want to Slow Down

As much as we admire the fact that cars are becoming more connected with feature such as 4G LTE Wi-Fi and Bluetooth the protection of those inside the car aren’t as complete as they should be. The threat of danger to those inside the car isn’t about the physical danger of those in the car, but of the digital systems of the car and of the connected devices that are being used by those riding along in the car. As the automotive industry continues to rely on digital technology to make vehicles more connected and eventually bring us autonomous driving, which will be the most connected cars can become.

This connection and the fact that the digital threats are real and impending are akin to the building industry when asbestos was discovered. This fireproof material was perfect for some buildings, especially commercial construction, and had a plethora of applications at first. At the time no one knew this material could eventually cause cancer and it was the perfect answer to many different building needs and was extremely inexpensive. Now, those who were exposed to this harmful material are paying the price and some have cancer that was caused form exposure to asbestos.

The same can be said of the automotive industry and how everything will eventually be connected. As we’ve already seen from different teams, nearly every car on the market is vulnerable to some type of hack right now, and this is without them all being connected via a cyberspace information connection that has the vehicles and an infrastructure communicating to ensure the safety of vehicles and the timing of signals and signs. It seems that before we actually allow vehicles on the road that are fully connected, such as those that will drive autonomously, we should consider ensuring there are protections in place to make sure the systems are protected.

In order to demonstrate the fact that vehicles are vulnerable to being hacked a team set up a hack to attempt to control a vehicle from a remote location. The team was set up in a residence in Pittsburgh and was able to take over control of a Jeep Cherokee that was driving along a highway in St. Louis. This was enough of a wakeup call to the Department of Homeland Security to let them know they need to dig deeper into the actual cyber security that’s in place for the automotive industry.

The reality is that most automotive companies have their own team of hackers that are employed to try and hack into the system of their vehicles. The problem with this isn’t so much that holes are being discovered, that’s to be expected, the problem is the need to share information across brands to ensure all companies can be protected from potential threats. Having any drivers on the road that could potentially lose control of their vehicle because a lunatic hacker has learned how to digitally break into a vehicle and take over the controls is a nightmare that needs a concentrated and complete reaction and attack by the automotive industry.

Hopefully the fact that holes are continually being discovered will be enough to persuade all brands to work together to share the information they have regarding what needs to be done to avoid being hacked in the future.