Internet of Things and Vehicle Security Concerns

Internet of Things and Vehicle Security Concerns

Technology Trend: The Internet of Things for automotive, as assumed, will be network of embedded electronics, software and sensors in the car connected to your home or smart phone for quick exchange data andinformation between you and the car.

This will also allow extension of remotely controlled vehicle functions along the lines of Remote Start, Smart Start and other upcoming additions & innovations.

Current trend is to imbed IoT’ within vehicle CAN / LIN / Ethernet architecture with sufficient security protocols for wireless communication with vehicle systems.

Extension of this is the Driverless Car.

Concern:

But how do you protect the driver / passenger and prevent data breach as the car may be connected to your home and office servers.

In addition there is the greater risk of unintended or malicious software attack which could lead to intended / unintended vehicle failures.

For more on this please click on few recent articles:

Car hack uses digital-radio broadcasts to seize control

Hackers remotely kill a jeep.

Internet Of Things Meets Cars.

Car to Car communication will save lives – MIT Technology Review

Internet of things – Lessons for Automotive Industry

Connected Cars – iGate.

Forbes: How The Internet Of Things Will Impact Vehicles

Industrial Cyber Security Requires Layered Approach

Remember while failure and accidents through driver fault is accepted the trend (especially in US) no hazardous failure is acceptable due to design or engineering flaw even if the occurrence is 1 in million.

Of course the OE’s will invest heavily into software but as we have all seen last few years internet security is relative myth with even the most secure systems being routinely hacked. The thought is that you can create a firewall between critical vehicle systems and the wireless input modules but software based firewalls is a myth.

The Internet of Things (IoT) in cars is also raising potential security concerns with its ever increasing connectivity.

Below is one example of a simple two-tier architecture designed to reduce complexity developed by Visio.M scientists at TU München; refer Technology News – Microwave Engineering Europe

 

Remarks:

One solution is to separate Internet of Things communications between cars and outside devices from car operational systems. That would definitely add to costs and complexity but car operations must be completely separated from wireless hacking of key systems.

Essentially that means, as a example, that unlike current trend and growing phone / text / navigation and other such systems must be separated from the vehicle architecture – run them on a separate independent bus that cannot communicate with vehicle drive and security systems. It will definitely remove some features which would be cool to control wirelessly but reduce opportunities for potentially malicious viruses or hacking.