Auto industry continues to grapple with challenges of cyber threats, according to AutoBlog.
A telephone is not a telephone. It’s a computer that makes phone calls. A refrigerator is not a refrigerator. It’s a computer that keeps food cold. And a car is no longer a car. It’s a computer with wheels and an engine.
Everyday items are no longer what we think they are, and we need to rethink those objects to help keep them secure, says a leading security expert. That includes the millions of new vehicles now being sold in dealerships across the United States.
Today’s new cars come equipped with dozens of microcomputers connected by a network and run everything from infotainment systems to the engine itself. New technology has provided advancements in fuel economy, comfort and safety. But it comes at a price. Like any other computer system, the units inside our cars are vulnerable. Hackers can infiltrate these systems. Once they’re inside, they can do anything from steal your data to control your car.
Automakers were slow to realize these growing risks, says Bruce Schneier, chief technology officer of Co3 Systems and a fellow at Harvard’s Berkman Center, but they’ve better responded to these potential threats in recent years.
