Like every sector, the automotive industry also sees organisations relying more and more on digitisation and automation with every passing year. Several vehicle manufacturers, such as BMW and Nissan, have completely automated several aspects of their logistics and supply chain cycles. Apart from manufacturing, the design, development, research of vehicles involves several stakeholders and hyper-converged software and hardware resources. This is even before you get into how data-driven, digitised, autonomous and connected modern vehicles can get.
While digitisation and automation make work operations more streamlined and vehicles more safe, comfortable and convenient, they also expose organisations and vehicle owners to nasty cyber-attacks and security breaches. Over the last three years, cyber-attacks on cars has increased by 225%. Manufacturers such as Toyota have had to suspend operations due to suspected data security threats in recent years.
Having the requisite data security protocols and measures in place is a necessity rather than a luxury in the automotive sector. Here are some of the reasons why the automotive sector needs data security solutions:
The technical complexity of modern vehicles
The latest vehicular systems are inherently complicated. Modern vehicles are loaded with several safety, convenience and performance-related features. Features such as Electronic Stability Programme (ESP), GPS-based navigation systems, vehicle infotainment systems, and others collect and use a lot of user data. If hackers somehow gain access to such systems, they can steal this data, which can lead to massive legal costs for vehicle manufacturers.
The internal software and hardware infrastructure of vehicles involves several constituent components and several ECUs. The ECUs can be connected with the various sensors and actuators in vehicles. ECUs are the control units of a vehicle and, thereby, most vulnerable to data security threats. Additionally, such ECUs and other software components are generally sourced from third-party providers. Such intermediary channels also provide opportunities to hackers for creating various data security attacks.
To protect vehicles from such threats, manufacturers can incorporate intelligent firewall systems and anti-malware protection tools in them. Such tools will not only defend vehicles from unauthorised intrusions, but also streamline the data flow and confidentiality of user information. Modern vehicles involve several biometric and other sources from which user data is captured. These gateways need to be safeguarded with data security tools and applications in order to maintain the privacy of vehicle users.
The collaborative manner in which vehicle manufacturers work
As implied earlier, the automotive sector has never been one in which companies work in isolation. Several components used in vehicles need to be sourced externally. These components arrive and are incorporated into the supply chain of a vehicle. Today’s automotive industry involves the use of hyper-converged infrastructure and cloud-based tools for improving the vehicle manufacturing process. As a result, there is a constant flow of data, whether it be IP-related information such as vehicle design, engine and chassis specifications, interior layout, patent-related information, and other details. Without the proper data security protocols in place, files and documents sent over the internet can be intercepted easily. To overcome this problem, vehicle manufacturers can employ specialised firewall systems that employ multiple layers and stages of data security. Such tools create several hurdles that keep malicious entities from affecting the data networks of an automotive company.
Normally, IT companies have their own data security teams and strategies regarding their data security infrastructure. Automotive companies, as stated earlier, need to outsource technology from third-party service providers. So, such organisations must ensure that the tools and resources they use are from respected and renowned service providers.
Essentially, collaboration brings in several benefits, but, at the same time, potentially invites data security trouble that must be dealt with proficiently by all companies involved in ideating, designing, manufacturing, servicing, insuring, delivering, renting, and marketing vehicles for profit.
The remote connectivity of vehicles
As alluded to earlier, apart from internal complexity, vehicles also come with several connectivity features. As a result, users can make phone calls and connect to the web from their vehicles. What’s more, users can also perform tasks such as windshield wipers, regulating multi-zone climate controls in the cabin, changing the speed of the windshield wipers, and several other features. On top of those, connected vehicles can literally communicate with one another.
Cybercriminals create malware and other kinds of threats that can be unintentionally downloaded by users onto their phones or other connected devices. As cell phones and smartwatches can nowadays be used to remotely park or navigate a car, introducing malware in them could lead to hackers gaining access into individuals’ vehicles and, subsequently, their data as well.
The autonomous vehicle market is growing by leaps and bounds. Driverless cars are expected to dominate the roads in the years to come. As you can expect, such vehicles are highly vulnerable to data security threats. Major accidents and life-loss could be caused by hackers wreaking havoc remotely on autonomous cars and bigger commercial vehicles.
So, now that you know about such threats, you can prevent or, at the very least, mitigate their impact by placing your trust in Gajshield. Gajshield’s data security applications such as Multi-Cloud Security and Contextually-aware intelligent firewall systems can keep any existing or new kinds of threats from automobile manufacturers and vehicles. Choosing Gajshield’s advanced data security tools will ensure that user and manufacturer data is safeguarded at all times.
