New Company Seeks to Address Security Vulnerabilities of Connected Cars

Volkswagen has teamed up with three Israeli cybersecurity experts to form Cymotive, a company dedicated to creating solutions for preventing cyber attacks against computerized cars.

According to Yuval Duskin, Cymotive chairman and former head of the Israeli Security Services,  "Together with Volkswagen we are building a top-notch team of cyber security experts. We are aware of the significant technological challenges that will face us in the next years in dealing with the cyber security threats facing the connected car and the development of the autonomous car."

Bluetooth connectivity and computerized dashboards in automobiles are tempting targets for tech-savvy criminals. Recently, researchers discovered that an inexpensive radio kit could be used by hackers to clone their way into any wireless-entry-equipped Volkswagen, allowing them to potentially open any of the millions of automobiles that have come equipped with this wireless feature since 2000.

Volkswagen, of course, is not the only carmaker whose systems are under threat of attack. A few seasoned car hackers recently proved that, by attaching a laptop to the controller area network (or CAN bus) of a Jeep Cherokee, they could take full control of the vehicle’s brakes. Posting proof of this method in a YouTube video, the duo stated that, with additional effort, a similar attack could be executed remotely.

However, after submitting their findings to Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (producer of the Jeep brand) the automotive manufacturer claimed such an attack takes “extensive technical knowledge” and that any security flaws present in the demonstration had since been patched.

This incident underscores the fact that hackers will always seek to uncover vulnerabilities that the manufacturers and programmers of whatever system (automotive, computing, or otherwise) may have overlooked. As a result, there will continue to be an ongoing (and most likely never ending) race between hackers and developers to come out on top.

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