The following infographic, based on Arxan’s automotive IoT page, details the vulnerabilities of the connected car. By the year 2020, it is estimated that 75% of all cars will have internet connectivity. Taking this on board this leaves the door open for hackers who will exploit this technology.
If you have a computer and you still don’t know how you managed to install that Virus, now throw an internet connected car in the mix!
With the connected car devices such as Mobile Phones can unlock your car or even start your engine.
Communication between 3rd party mobile apps and internet-connected devices can be intercepted leaving them vulnerable to attack, particularly those that are not regularly updated or are no longer maintained.
Can you imagine how scary it would be for someone else to hijack your car remotely?
Why I’m slightly pessimistic
My 2-year-old car has a hands-free audio system and sat nav. Back in August, the Bluetooth audio stopped working. I checked the internet to find a solution and found out that the manufacturers don’t provide firmware updates for the UK.
The only way, other than the hassle of taking it back to the dealers, was to sign up to an official non-UK website to download the latest firmware to a USB stick and install it myself.
So this begs the question. How likely are the car dealers going to fix it if something goes wrong? The dealers don’t seem interested unless you are throwing money their way. An experience I have encountered myself. Sadly after-sales is an after-thought!
Are the manufacturers going to stop releasing updates for existing technology because they are focusing on the next generation models? (Samsung springs to mind)
Will the dealers cope and what happens to Independent garages are they going to have to pay for expensive technology to keep up. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
I’m all up for new technology and evolution but wouldn’t be happy to run my car using beta software!
