Top Security Challenges Facing Connected Vehicles

With the increasing number of sensors installed within vehicles, there is a possibility for hackers to steal personally identifiable information (PII) from the car's systems, such as location data, entertainment preferences, and financial information.

Fremont, CA: The global market for connected cars is expected to proliferate in the years to come as technology innovations in connectivity give a new direction to the automotive industries. Connected cars will offer numerous benefits to customers: connectivity gives drivers everything from Wi-Fi access high definition streaming media to the ability to remotely control features of the vehicle through smartphone applications, such as locking/unlocking and ignition mechanisms.

As the saying goes, everything comes with a price. Like any other device that connects to the internet, there is a looming risk to automotive security from cybercriminals. Security breaches can result in leaked personal information, threats to a vehicle's security, and even full control of the car.

Failure to address these risks can pose a catastrophic effect on consumer confidence, privacy, brand reputation, and customer safety.

In this article, we are enlisting top security risks for connected cars:

Vehicle Theft: As wireless key fobs, digital keys, and mobile applications replace traditional physical car keys, car thieves can easily get unauthorized entry into the vehicle. This can be achieved by intercepting communication between a wireless key fob or smartphone and the vehicle, leveraging devices that extend the range of the wireless signal and imitate the wireless key to access a vehicle utilizing the owner's own wireless key fob if the owner is still positioned close to their vehicle. Managing virtual car keys can be as difficult as managing physical keys if the owner does not carry them out correctly. Key enrolment, validation of an 'unlock' attempt, and, particularly, revocation should be handled securely.

Connection Risks: Cybercriminals can take advantage of flaws in a vendor's implementation. Given that security has often been primarily overlooked in the design phase for connected cars and their components, this makes it easy for hackers to exploit vulnerabilities utilizing cellular networks, physical connections, and Wi-Fi. Moreover, connected cars need to be trusted by the components and services that they connect to.

Theft of personal data: With the increasing number of sensors installed within vehicles, there is a possibility for hackers to steal personally identifiable information (PII) from the car's systems, such as location data, entertainment preferences, and financial information.

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