Driverless Vehicles – Hack Proof? Safe for You and Your Family?29 Nov
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Based on an article written in March 29, 2015, “Last week, Tesla Motors unveiled another first for the auto industry: starting immediately, the company will be delivering upgrades directly to vehicles via the Internet
Tesla plans to distribute these upgrades over a period of months. “Unlike most of the auto industry’s upgrades, which are delivered to customers through an independent dealer network, Tesla is building on a sales and marketing philosophy that cuts out the middleman by sending the new software directly to its cars over their embedded wireless connections.”
However, Congress is concerned about the vulnerability of wirelessly transmitted up- grades. In 2015, “Senator Edward Markey (D-MA) sent a letter to 20 car manufacturers asking them about their vehicles’ reliance on wireless computing technology and, in turn, the vulnerability of their systems. In February, he published the companies’ replies, and they weren’t completely reassuring (the full report is here).
“Manufacturers that responded to the Senator’s inquiry gave mostly ambiguous answers about the cyber security of their products. Some said they encrypt information such as driving history and physical location, while others admitted that they don’t use encryption. The same is true for third-party testing of vehicle cyber security—some do it, but many do not.”
Note: “Tesla was one of three companies that chose not to respond to Sen. Markey’s questions.”
In the meantime, “The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, composed of 12 automakers, and the Association of Global Automakers, comprising 12 manufacturers and five suppliers, have developed a framework for automotive cyber security best practices.”
- What has this Alliance achieved to date on driverless vehicle cyber security?
- Who is responsible for checking these accomplishments?
- Has anyone from this Alliance responded clearly to Senator Markey’s questions?