Modern cars are basically computers on wheels. The number of electronic components in vehicles has been increasing at a steady pace, and many models built in the past three to five years have a number of cameras, sensors, and radars on board, accompanied by hardware to process and analyze signals from all that equipment. But that\u2019s just the tip of the iceberg: Almost any major component of a modern car, such as the engine, steering, brakes, and so on is controlled by electronics and is interlinked with an onboard network. Moreover, many of those cars are connected to the Internet, and several of the most recent models can actually drive by themselves in certain conditions, without any help from the driver.<\/p>\n
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So, cars and computers really are closely related. But there\u2019s at least one significant difference: security. The computer security industry is more than 20 years old now, whereas there\u2019s almost no such thing as automotive IT security. With cars so dependent on computers \u2014 with cars resembling<\/em> computers \u2014 it\u2019s natural to think there might be car malware and that car electronics could be hacked or exploited. Indeed they can.<\/p>\n Car hacking became a hot topic a couple of years ago, when security researchers Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek showcased how they hacked a Jeep Cherokee<\/a> remotely, gaining full control over it. They were able to remotely control steering, acceleration, brakes, and the head unit. The thing is, when the hackers gained control, the driver lost it.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Since that time, we\u2019ve also seen a Tesla Model S hacked<\/a> and the very same Jeep hacked again<\/a> \u2014 using different techniques. The fact that cars can be hacked feels even more disturbing when you think about self-driving cars<\/a>, the automotive industry\u2019s obsession for now and probably the next decade.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Automotive electronics are quite complicated, with a lot of standards, a lot of proprietary elements, and plenty of mysterious bits that no one but the manufacturer understands. Another important point is that even if some parts are tested with security in mind, the car is a combination of those parts, and the whole doesn\u2019t usually receive the benefit of thorough security research. VW\u2019s Dieselgate<\/a> is a perfect illustration of all those issues and complications.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n It\u2019s clearly high time for someone to think about IT security in the automotive industry \u2014 someone who can actually do something about it.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Kaspersky Lab is no stranger to the automotive world: We have partnered with Ferrari since 2013, and in 2016, we created the Kaspersky Motorsport division. So we\u2019ve been paying attention to the automotive industry for quite some time, and now we\u2019ve taken another step into making the automotive world a safer place.<\/p>\n Today AVL, the largest independent developer of powertrain systems, and Kaspersky Lab are announcing a partnership aimed at making connected cars secure and less prone to hacking.<\/p>\nIs car hacking a real threat?<\/h2>\n
A step into the world of secure connected cars<\/h2>\n