5 Reasons Why Automotive Cyber Security Solutions are Essential for Connected Cars

Over the past few decades, vehicle technology has developed rapidly. Automobile industry remodeling is predominantly software-driven these days, from autonomous, connected, and electric vehicles to carsharing. The software provides the interface for communication between driverless vehicles and the artificial intelligence that drives them. In addition, it provides the network that makes car sharing and ridesharing possible, as well as the charging infrastructure for electric vehicles.

However, the emergence of new technology also opens up avenues that can be exploited by hackers and fraudsters, especially in relation to connected cars. One of the most effective ways OEMS can look to overcome these issues is by using embedded automotive cyber security solutions to protect vehicles from hackers and prevent theft and fraud.

Here are five reasons why automotive cyber security solutions are essential for connected cars.

What are Automotive Cyber Security Solutions?

Automotive cyber security solutions allow manufacturers to ensure connected cars receive timely security updates. They can also help prevent hacking and theft through sophisticated authentication processes, threat modeling, and advanced cryptography. When used properly, these cyber security tools can thwart attacks that aim to steal car data or, worse -- take control of an autonomous vehicle. These solutions could even save lives by preventing accidents caused by malicious hacking attempts that compromise vehicle networks.

Let's dig deeper into the 5 reasons automotive cyber security solutions are essential for connected cars.

1. Prevent Hacking

Some automakers like BMW have recently started adding security solutions to their vehicles; others, however, have been slower to implement proper protection. As a result, though connected cars can be a boon in terms of driving efficiency and convenience, they also make attractive targets for hackers.

It is predicted that by 2025 there will be over 470 million connected cars on our roads, creating a huge opportunity to unlock data and experience but also giving criminals ample time to intercept and manipulate it. Ensuring that you have embedded automotive cyber security solutions can prevent hacking and theft.

2. Prevent Vehicle Theft

When it comes to connected cars, there's a lot of hype around safety features. And while vehicle theft is definitely a concern, so too is the threat of hackers and fraudsters stealing your personal information or manipulating your car's controls.

Embedded automotive cyber security solutions help prevent these dangerous threats and provide an additional layer of protection against vehicle theft and other malicious cyber activity—helping keep you and your loved ones safe when you're on or off the road.

3. Safety & Security in Car Sensors

All modern cars have sensors. From adaptive cruise control to lane-keeping assistance, these sensors tell your car how to react in specific situations, making your ride safer and more secure. However, they also come with vulnerability: their signals can be intercepted and altered by hackers. Automotive cyber security solutions need to be implemented into connected car technology to prevent stolen cars or hijacking.

Here's why:

Safety – If an intruder could alter sensor data from outside of a vehicle, it could mean serious danger. A hacker could cause another driver to crash while changing his steering wheel commands or remotely applying his brakes. Any safety features must have built-in protection against such threats to know you're driving safely.

Locking Systems – The same principle applies to lock systems as well. For example, today's cars all use wireless locks controlled through key fobs; however, if someone were able to gain access through hacking, they would not need physical keys anymore—just one key fob would do!

4. Protect Data against Corruption

Data corruption can destroy critical files in mere minutes while leaving no trace that it ever happened. If you store data on a connected car's computer system, you must take steps to protect it against corruption. However, many people aren't sure how to do so.

Here are 3 tips that will help you secure your vehicle's digital systems

The first thing you should do is make sure all of your software is up-to-date. This includes both hardware and software, as updates often contain patches that fix security holes.

Additionally, use encryption to protect any sensitive information stored on your car's computer system; if someone steals or tampers with it, they won't be able to access what they need without a decryption key.

Finally, make sure your data backups are secure and encrypted. If you don't encrypt them yourself, ask a professional to help you out.

5. Anti-tampering Protection

Besides actually stealing a car, one of the biggest security issues in modern vehicles is that many popular models are vulnerable to being hacked. Hacking a car isn't quite as sinister as it sounds—it simply means accessing its systems and controlling functions from afar, such as stopping or starting its engine or turning on lights and locks.

In order to prevent cars from being remotely hijacked, an embedded automotive cyber security solution is essential.

Conclusion

The importance of embedded automotive cyber security solutions should not be overlooked. With vehicles becoming more connected, hackers have a whole host of new weaknesses to exploit.

In addition, as we move towards autonomous and driverless cars, it's important that car manufacturers take every precaution possible to prevent hacking and theft.