Cybersecurity
Smart Cars at Heightened Risk of Attack, IT Security Firm Says
- Carmakers should adopt opt-in options, authentication checks
- Hackers have gained access to smart cars on several occasions
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Automakers should do more to increase the safety of vehicles whose software can be updated over the air, according to a cybersecurity expert, because current technology leaves cars vulnerable to being manipulated without an owner’s knowledge.
In the connected cars of today, virtually all communication between a driver’s smartphone and their vehicle takes place over the internet via the cloud for functions as basic as starting the engine remotely and turning on the air conditioning. Sometimes it’s a user sending a command to the car, and sometimes it’s the manufacturer sending a request for the car’s software to be updated.