Cybersecurity in the Automotive Sector

Upskilling in cybersecurity would be needed for employees in other areas such as procurement, project management, dealerships, and customer communications.

FREMONT, CA: Autonomous driving, connected cars, electric vehicles, and shared mobility are the four ACES disruptions that have dominated the agenda of automotive industry leaders in recent years. These advancements, which are based on the digitization of in-car systems, the extension of car IT systems into the back end, and the spread of software, turn modern cars into knowledge centers while also making them attractive targets for cyberattacks.

Securing Modern Vehicle Hardware and Software Would Necessitate New Skills and Talent

Current automotive workers will need new skills and ways of working during the entire development cycle, including the phases including specification, design, development, integration, and testing, to secure hardware and software while meeting regulatory requirements and customer expectations. Upskilling in cybersecurity would be needed for employees in other areas such as procurement, project management, dealerships, and customer communications.

OEMs and other organizations in the supply chain must develop stricter cyber-risk management processes and enforcement documents in addition to upskilling employees. Furthermore, a business's maturity and organizational structure also influence the decision to change or implement new systems. Roles, responsibilities, and structured procedures for evaluating and handling cyber-risks to vehicles will also need to be adjusted.

OEMs would have to respond quickly to security incidents in the new world, such as when businesses discover a new or possible vulnerability or when malicious hackers target their vehicles. For detecting and responding to cybersecurity incidents, this will necessitate operational, procedural, and technological skills. For safe vehicle service, security patches will be required during the vehicle's entire life cycle. Vehicles are often powered for ten years or even longer, necessitating frequent upgrades over time. This puts them in the same league as aircraft or ships, which receive software updates over longer periods than consumer electronics like PCs, smartphones, tablets, and smart appliances.

In the next ten years, automotive cybersecurity is predicted to nearly double. The automotive cybersecurity market has been divided into three categories: cybersecurity hardware, cybersecurity-related software development activities, and cybersecurity processes and solutions. According to reports and predictive modeling, the overall cybersecurity market would rise from 4.9 billion dollars in the last year to 9.7 billion dollars in 2030, representing an annual growth rate of more than 7 percent.