There haven’t been any major cyber attacks on connected cars yet, but numerous security researchers have proven that hacking cars is dangerously easy, and have called upon automakers and governments to ensure that drivers are protected before connected cars become the norm, which will be very soon. That’s exactly what the Department of Transportation is trying to do, and it’s teaming up with a number of major automakers to achieve this goal. Together, they’ll develop better methods and strategies for keeping connected cars secure, and will be collaborating on security research.
Major automakers plan to work with the U.S. government to try to deter hacks of connected cars before they become a major issue. To date, there haven’t been any major cyberattacks on cars, but a number of security researchers demonstrated potentially serious attacks in 2015, and that has the government worried. So the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is hoping it can get the auto industry to mirror proactive safety work that already takes place in the aviation industry. The agreement has been signed by all major automakers that operate in the U.S. “Real safety is finding and fixing defects before someone gets hurt, rather than just punishing after the damage is done,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said Friday when he announced the initiative at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Under the plans, car makers and the government will develop best practices for keeping cars resilient against cyber attacks and work out the best way to collaborate with the wider cybersecurity research community. Additionally, the group will look at ways to improve information sharing through a recently formed industry group called Auto-ISAC.
