If you’re a car enthusiast and love keeping up with the latest updates from the industry, you already know that the vehicles are undergoing a revolutionary transformation. This is naturally about connected cars, vehicles that have integrated internet connectivity, allowing them to communicate with other systems, including online applications and services, traffic infrastructure, and other cars. There are many advantages to this connectivity, including enhanced safety as a result of the hazard alerts. While not long ago it was regarded as something niche and only the domain of the tech-savvy, things have changed significantly in the meantime, with researchers believing that the majority of cars will have this technology five years from now.
However, the rise of this new functionality has also meant that drivers have an additional thing to be worried about when it comes to their car: cybersecurity.
The advantages
It wouldn’t be fair to discuss connected cars exclusively in the context of the potential issues, with absolutely no mention of the benefits they provide as well. The technology has naturally improved a lot of things and helps many drivers a lot. Apart from the increased safety (you receive real-time information about accidents, broken-down vehicles, and other issues you could find on the road), you can also monitor the health of your vehicle in real-time and get predictive maintenance alerts if something’s not as it should be. This way, you are always ahead of any potential issues and can solve them when they’re still minor, before they get a chance to spiral out of control.
If you need to interact with your car remotely, whether to check its status or schedule a service appointment, you can do so through the app on your smartphone. On top of that, the passengers can also access music, streaming services, and all kinds of personalized entertainment that will make even the longest, dreariest car rides pass by quicker. And since increased adoption is expected to continue over the next couple of years, getting a vehicle that operates with this technology as well can be all the more helpful.
Strong passwords
As for all devices and gadgets connected to the internet, you need to make sure you use a strong password that hackers won’t be able to crack in order to exploit your personal data. Make sure that the accounts you use are separate from those you have on your personal computers or the ones you use at work, and that the passwords are not the same or very similar. The work accounts are the most important, so getting a password manager for teams that can create robust passcodes, share all logins in a secure manner, and control access to your accounts can be very helpful, especially since it guarantees things don’t get mixed up if you happen to use the same devices.
The potential risks you need to be aware of include unsecured Bluetooth connectivity, potential vulnerabilities in the cloud that could impact your stored vehicle data, and issues with the connected systems that must be safeguarded by strong passwords first and foremost. While cybersecurity is already a topic of discussion when it comes to connected cars, the field is expected to continue developing in the near future as IoT integration and autonomous driving systems become more prevalent. Implementing proactive security measures is the surest way to remain ahead of the threats, and this is the area where connected cars still have plenty of room to evolve.
Vulnerabilities
Starlink is a Subaru feature that brings cloud and application connectivity to the vehicle, allowing you to access the latest news, get information about the weather, listen to music, audiobooks, and podcasts, as well as access multimedia content. Researchers identified a potential vulnerability in the service that could have given cybercriminals the opportunity to take control of vehicles and exploit customer data. Only the license plate and a few basic details (such as the email address and the driver’s last name) were needed, and hackers could have used the system in various ways in order to access the information.
For instance, they could have started or stopped the cars when they wanted to, lock and unlock the doors, and, perhaps most eerily, track the real-time location of the vehicle at all times. The precise locations of the cars spanning more than twelve months could have been accessed with an accuracy of just within five meters, creating a highly detailed profile of all the victims’ movements. This massive issue stemmed from issues with the admin portal and serves as a lesson for other vehicles, especially since the case is not isolated.
Subaru patched the vulnerability promptly, within twenty-four hours of the report.
Systemic issues
Other car manufacturers have dealt with similar situations in the past as well. The presence of a flaw in a Kia web portal left millions of cars susceptible to tracking, unlocked doors, and engines that start randomly. The vehicles could also have been easily located (and stolen) just by knowing the license plates. These examples reveal the presence of systemic issues that must be solved over the long term. Weak authentication is one of the primary issues, as it significantly increases the likelihood of hackers breaking into systems. The centralized systems storing and managing such large quantities of data also require extra care and the most robust security measures to guarantee their integrity.
Connected platforms should also ensure that all the information they use is properly encrypted so that it remains secure during transmission. The use of third-party portals and applications must be properly integrated before launch to mitigate the potential effects of security gaps.
The bottom line
To sum up, connected cars are dealing with a lot of cybersecurity challenges that must still be solved. The vehicles can be hijacked, putting the passengers in dangerous, potentially life-threatening situations. These serious safety risks must be addressed and solved to ensure that people are safe at all times. After all, it is ironic to have a car that provides you with information so that you're safe while also exposing your personal details to unauthorized parties.
However, as the industry keeps developing, it is very likely that the rate of these incidents will steadily reduce.
