Connected cars and the security risks involved
Digital transformation is affecting every business sector and the automotive industry is no exception. Thanks to innovative software engineers and auto manufacturers, smart, fully-connected vehicles are coming to our streets, giving more freedom and comfort to their drivers. According to Gartner, it is estimated that a quarter of a billion connected cars will on the road by 2020.
The additional connectivity is undoubtedly beneficial to both drivers and car manufacturers for a variety of reasons Technological advancements help alleviate society from having to worry about traffic jams, road constructions, parking availability or weather conditions, for example. However the connectivity used to achieve this is not just about safer driving as it can unfortunately put users at risk. It creates new vulnerabilities as internet-connected and self-driven cars are also at risk of being discovered and hacked in a similar fashion to computer users.
If a hacker manages to take control of your vehicle, the consequences may be much worse than having your smart fridge hacked. But hackers aren’t necessarily the only bad guys here. Connected cars themselves are now being created to collect specific data, such as your GPS coordinates or your driving habits. Many may not realise it, but by monitoring everyday movements, car companies collect massive amounts of personal information, such as where you go each day and how long you spend in a particular location. While car companies claim that such data collection can help improve their services, it is still a potential infringement of privacy with many risks involved.
The following are four ways to protect your smart car from being hacked:
- Always make sure that your vehicle’s software is up-to-date and be on the lookout for fake software updates.
- Check current vehicle recalls to learn if your car needs to be repaired in some way due to a bug in the system or faulty software.
- Be careful when connecting third-party devices to your vehicle and don’t let any Tom, Dick or Harry just connect their device via Bluetooth to your car as you won’t necessarily know how safe their device is or if it has the necessary security protection installed
- Prevent hackers from breaking into your phone or gaining access to your vehicle from your device by installing a Virtual Private Network (VPN) app on the device you use to connect to your car. This will help protect your vehicle from snoopers and cybercriminals.
The accepted definition of a ‘driver’ is changing rapidly. Regardless of the extent to which connected vehicles are adopted, the intelligent networking of vehicles is being developed and happening already. There are still a lot of considerations needed to ensure the safety and security of connected vehicles, their occupants and third parties affected by the use of the vehicle in order to reassure society of the benefits of this innovative technology.
