Skip to main content

Cybersecurity in the connected car

A new report by Danish business analysis company Autintelligence, Cybersecurity in the connected car: technology, industry, and future examines the security implications of increasing connectivity and software complexity in connected and autonomous vehicles. According to the report, advanced connectivity, electronics and software are hallmarks of modern vehicles. A typical connected car contains up to 70 ECUs, and about 100 million lines of code. As vehicles expand in terms of technological complexity,
March 31, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
A new report by Danish business analysis company Autintelligence, Cybersecurity in the connected car: technology, industry, and future examines the security implications of increasing connectivity and software complexity in connected and autonomous vehicles.  

According to the report, advanced connectivity, electronics and software are hallmarks of modern vehicles. A typical connected car contains up to 70 ECUs, and about 100 million lines of code. As vehicles expand in terms of technological complexity, they become an attractive target for cyber-criminals.

The report discusses a range of elements of automotive cyber security, including; Attack surfaces in connected and autonomous vehicles; Core vulnerabilities; Regulations and policies in the US, EU, China, Japan; and Existing market solutions. It also discusses emerging solutions such as (ECU Consolidation, app sandboxing and autonomous security, as well as security by design.

The report also addresses key questions: What makes vehicles vulnerable?; What are the worst-case scenarios?; Where should OEMs invest to secure their connected vehicles?; Can the CAN bus be secured?; Is legislation the answer to raise the bar of security standards in modern vehicles?; Can security by design ever be a commercial reality?; What are the available market solutions, and who are the key players?

Related Content

  • July 22, 2021
    Bhatt: 'Critical opportunity' for cybersecurity
    ITS America CEO Shailen Bhatt tells US Senate funds are needed to 'manage vulnerabilities'
  • October 19, 2015
    Tighten up on cyber security before hackers infiltrate ITS infrastructure
    This year’s ITS World Congress in Bordeaux will have three sessions dedicated to cyber security and the issue will also be addressed under connected and automated vehicles categories. Jon Masters finds out why. American security researchers Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek attracted international press coverage recently when they demonstrated how they could hack into and take control of a vehicle from a remote laptop. While the implications are clearly serious for vehicle manufacturers, highway and transpor
  • August 10, 2016
    Technologies to protect connected cars ‘not being utilised’
    A three-year study by IOActive’s Cybersecurity Division has found half of vehicle vulnerabilities could allow cyber attackers to take control of a vehicle - and 71 per cent are ‘easy to exploit’. The research, detailed in a whitepaper, Commonalities in Vehicle Vulnerabilities, is based on real-world security assessments. Technologies which could be exploited include cellular radio, Bluetooth, wi-fi, companion apps, vehicle to vehicle (V2V) radio, onboard diagnostic equipment, infotainment media and Zigbe
  • April 18, 2012
    EV charging will require increased investment in cyber security systems
    The technology architecture associated with electric vehicle (EV) charging is continuing to evolve as utilities and other key players in the industry ecosystem identify business requirements and risks associated with adding significant new demands on the electrical grid. One of the most pressing challenges is related to securing financial transactions and end-to-end communications throughout the EV charging infrastructure, and a recent report from Pike Research indicates that these areas will be the focus o