The secure connected car is a topic much debated in the automotive industry, and the Connected Car track at Automotive Megatrends USA addressed how automotive parties can help the connected car develop towards a safer, more secure future.
Dan Mender, Vice President Business Development, Green Hills Software, spoke specifically at the conference, noting that security presents a serious challenge to the automotive industry, which could “learn a trick or two” from the way other industries such as consumer electronics handle cyber security.
“How can we think about and make connected cars more secure?” asked Mender. “We can learn from other industries and help OEMs design systems to fight against the most malicious outsiders.”
Mender noted that the current status of software security is “ugly,” with 19 new security vulnerabilities per day reported in 2014 by the National Vulnerability Database.
He added that connected car security needs to be manufactured into the car, and retrofitting it is just not enough. “Vehicle security will become paramount in the future,” said Mender. “But automotive manufacturers and Tier 1s need to incorporate security into the manufacturing process.”
Ram Ramaseshan, Associate Vice President – Engineering Services and Global Head of Automotive and Life Sciences, Infosys, also spoke at the conference, and similarly to Mender, noted that the industry can learn from outside industries. “The ability to learn from other industries when it comes to safety and security is vital. This will help the industry to address the challenges it faces when it comes to cyber security.”
Andreas Mai, Director, Smart Connected Vehicles, Cisco, noted, “if the industry is going to move forward in the connected car, it better make sure it is secure from hacking.” He continued, “Cyber security is a big focus for Cisco as no device is currently secure. We need a system that not only protects cyber crimes with the best possible technology but has a way of identifying these threats really quickly.”
Rachel Boagey
