One of the most important technological areas of our time is connected cars. Nowadays, cars are starting to look more like laptops . on wheelsHowever, this development entails many risks. Cybercriminals can target modern connected cars and cause traffic chaos and accidents.
Israeli security GuardKnox demonstrated this threat at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). To do this, it used the technique of simulating a Formula 1 driving.
In the presentation, a GuardKnox engineer played the role of a malicious hacker and affected the car so that the driver could not control the car's speed.
The virtual race ended with the Formula 1 driver stranded on the side of the road. Safety experts stressed that this could very easily happen in real life.
New car models have embedded computer chips, sensors and mobile technology, which hackers can exploit to take control of the cars or sabotage the systems.
As technology is integrated into cars, the potential for cyberattacks increases. Autonomous driving, cloud- , and smart city infrastructures are all giving hackers more opportunities.
GuardKnox CEO Moshe Shlisel presented a scenario: a malicious hacker takes control (remotely) of a fuel truck and crashes it into a building.
“It’s like 9/11on wheels,” Shlisel said in an interview at CES.
According to an expert, in recent years, cybersecurity . has become an integral part of vehicle engineering
“Connectivity is the reason why this is happening,” the expert said.
“Now, all elements must be designed with cybersecurity in mind.”
Israeli company Upstream said that during 2019, more than 150 cybersecurity incidents related to cars were recorded.
Last year, in Chicago, dozens of luxury cars were stolen after hackers compromised the app .
According to Upstream vice president Dan Sahar, the worst-case scenario would be controlling multiple vehicles at once.
"For example, someone tampers with the brakes on all vehicles of a particular model at the same time. That would be disastrous.".
Since cars of a particular model share the same technical specifications, they also share the same vulnerabilities in their systems.
“If you can design an attack and execute it on a computer, and that computer is connected to a car, then anything is possible,” said Ralph Echemendia, a cybersecurity expert.
Car manufacturers have responded to the threat by generously rewarding security researchers who discover vulnerabilities and investing in secure systems.
GuardKnox engineers have designed a processor that protects computers in vehicles and acts as a secure operating system.
As in the world of smartphones and computers, malicious hackers are constantly looking for new ways to breach systems.
