Cyber threats increase with networking
Internet-connected cars, so-called “smart cars,” are also exposed to cybersecurity risks. This is emphasized by two computer researchers from the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), who have presented their own authorization framework for networked and autonomous vehicles. This is intended to ensure through strict access control that hackers cannot penetrate the various systems installed in the car in order to manipulate them.
“An entry point for hackers”
“Self-driving and connected cars are increasingly becoming a part of our everyday world, where cybersecurity threats are a sad reality,”
explains Ravi Sandhu, professor of computer science and director of the Institute for Cyber Security at UTSA. It is therefore essential to be aware of the threat in cars and to develop appropriate security solutions.
“As with every device, cars also have vulnerabilities. Our goal is to ensure that no one takes advantage of these vulnerabilities and turns them into a real threat,”
adds Sandhu's research colleague Maanak Gupta.
“In recent years, cars have increasingly transformed into mobile computers,”
Thorsten Urbanski, spokesman for the security software manufacturer ESET , also stated to pressetext. The more digitalization takes place in road traffic, the greater the potential danger becomes.
“Networked technology is a gateway for hackers. These could not only spy on personal data such as the current location, but also intervene directly in traffic, for example by manipulating braking systems,”
explains the expert, who, however, does not want to stir up panic.
“I believe that the automotive industry is very sensitive to the issue of safety. “European manufacturers in particular all have their own IT departments that do nothing except check the security of the technology installed in cars,”
said Urbanski.
Trusted traffic
To improve security in internet-connected cars, UTSA researchers took a relatively simple approach. This focuses on the question of which applications and data connections can be trusted and which cannot.
For this purpose, the scientists have created their own authorization framework that controls the entire Internet infrastructure in a vehicle and only allows data transfer that has been approved by strict access control.
“For us, this is the key to determining what vulnerabilities there are and how they can be exploited. “Using our framework, we try to provide a viable strategy to prevent cyber attacks and unauthorized access to technical systems, sensors and data in cars,”
summarize Sandhu and Gupta.
Notes:
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