Your smartphone has antivirus software, your laptop gets security updates, but what about your car? Modern vehicles contain up to 150 electronic control units and run on millions of lines of code – making them essentially computers on wheels. Unfortunately, they’re also becoming attractive targets for cybercriminals who see new opportunities in your daily commute.
Your Car Is More Connected Than You Think
Rolling Data Centers
Today’s vehicles collect and transmit vast amounts of personal information. Your car knows your home, office, and shopping addresses. It monitors your driving patterns, phone numbers, and even listens in on your conversations using voice commands. Tesla vehicles alone generate 25 gigabytes of data per hour, more than most smartphones.
Multiple Attack Surfaces
Modern cars connect to the internet through cellular networks, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and satellite communications. All these entry points are avenues for hackers to gain entry. From phone Bluetooth pairing to over-the-air software update, there are numerous ways cyberattacks can enter your car’s computers.
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What Hackers Actually Want
Personal Data Goldmine
Your vehicle’s infotainment system stores contact lists, text messages, call records, and location history. This information is highly profitable for identity thieves. They can reconstruct your daily routine, family contacts, and personal habits from data in your vehicle alone.
Financial Motivation
Ransomware is also targeting vehicles as a new threat. The hackers can lock you out of your car or kill essential functions until you pay a ransom. Because cars are valued at $30,000-100,000, the owners are likely to be bullied into paying rather than lose them forever.
Physical Access and Theft
Remote hacking can turn off security systems, open doors, or even start engines. Car theft is more sophisticated, from window-breaking to code-breaking. Theoretically, criminality can now steal cars without laying a finger on them.
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Real-World Attack Scenarios
The Jeep Cherokee Demonstration
In 2015, researchers remotely exploited a Jeep Cherokee driving down a highway, taking control of the radio, air conditioning, windshield wipers, and even the transmission. This wasn’t just theoretical – they demonstrated full control of critical vehicle functions from miles away.
Key Fob Relay Attacks
Criminals utilize signal boosters to increase your key fob’s range, making your car believe the key is in its proximity when it is actually inside your home. This “relay attack” only lasts a matter of seconds and involves no classic breaking and entering.
Charge Station Weaknesses
Charging stations for electric cars can also be attack vectors. Malicious charging stations may be able to install malware on your car or steal information when charging, much like hacked USB charging ports.
What’s Really at Stake
Safety Systems Breach
The largest risk is not theft, it’s safety. Hackers could hack into braking systems, steering, or acceleration. Automakers have protection in place, but the danger of compromising life-critical systems is the highest-stakes cybersecurity risk we’re confronting.
Privacy Invasion
Your location data reveals intimate secrets of your existence. Your personal information can be misused by stalkers, employers, or insurance companies. Some vehicles even record sound inside the cabin, creating additional privacy concerns.
Fleet and Commercial Vulnerabilities
Delivery vans, ride-sharing vehicles, and corporate fleets are tantalizing targets for professional cyber thieves. A successful attack would expose hundreds of vehicles in one blow, with potentially extensive disruption.
How Automakers Are Fighting
Security by Design
Large producers now employ cybersecurity teams from the very beginning of automobile design. They’re employing secure coding practices, end-to-end encrypted communication, and isolated network architectures that prevent hackers from jumping between automobile systems.
Over-the-Air Security Updates
New vehicles may be upgraded with security patches through the air, similar to smartphones. That way, makers can respond fast to just-discovered weaknesses without having to send customers to dealerships.
Industry Collaboration
Car companies are sharing cybersecurity threat intelligence and working with government agencies to develop security standards. ISO/SAE 21434 already requires cybersecurity risk analysis throughout vehicle lifecycles.
Protecting Yourself
Keep Your Software Up to Date
Keep vehicle software updated on a regular basis. Updates generally come with important security patches that protect against newly discovered vulnerabilities.
Protect Your Connected Devices
Since your phone is linked to your car, locking it protects both devices. Employ strong passwords, enable two-factor authentication, and avoid using untrusted Wi-Fi networks.
Be Careful Around Third-Party Devices
Third-party dongles and applications bring with them additional attack surfaces. Screen any third-party device before connecting it to your vehicle’s systems.
Car cybersecurity is evolving rapidly, with threats and countermeasures evolving. Although the threat exists, carmakers are serious about it and investing in security.Â
Your car’s transformation into a digital device provides mind-boggling convenience and capability, but requires new caution when it comes to digital security. Being aware of the risks allows you to make informed decisions about your connected car features while staying safe on increasingly digital roads.
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