A recent “Innovation Spotlight” in the IEEE XPLORE Digital Library announced “a first-of-its-kind charger that allows plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) to deliver excess capacity to the power grid and recharge during off-peak hours.” Promising new technologies often evoke questions about security. Suppose a bad actor exploits the connection somehow and brings down portions of the […]
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Posted in Automotive Security, Government Security, Security Standards and Compliance, Smart Grid Security | Comments Off on Smart devices, smart grids, and cyber security
Before the public sessions kick off at Black Hat on Wednesday and Thursday, there are four days of training courses. The course I took part in this year was a two-day, hands-on car hacking course. My instructor, Robert Leale, is the founder and coordinator for the car hacking village at DEF CON. Both the weekend […]
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Posted in Application Security, Automotive Security, Embedded Software Testing | Comments Off on Are there ever legitimate reasons for hacking a car?
Developing software is an art. Developing safe and secure software is not only an art, but requires a mindset that anticipates potential bugs, security vulnerabilities, and system failures. Both quality and security are hard to add to a product after its inception. It simply isn’t practical to add on to a product as quality and security […]
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Posted in Automotive Security, Security Standards and Compliance | Comments Off on MISRA: Ensuring software safety and security from the start
Fault Injection is a podcast from Synopsys that digs into software quality and security issues. This week, hosts Robert Vamosi, CISSP and Security Strategist at Synopsys, and Chris Clark, Principal Security Engineer at Synopsys, go into detail about automotive software security and the future of connected cars. You can always join the discussion by sending […]
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Posted in Automotive Security, Embedded Software Testing, Internet of Things, Security Standards and Compliance | Comments Off on Fault Injection Podcast .004: Driving automotive software security
Adding communications to cars and the transportation infrastructure provides cool new services (e.g., safe driving, faster transit times, etc.). From a security perspective, it also widens the threat landscape. Potentially, a bad actor sitting along the roadside with wireless access might be able to mess with the internal workings of your car or the traffic lights […]
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Posted in Application Security, Automotive Security, Data Breach | Comments Off on New car communications could give hackers a free ride
There’s been a fair share of attention paid to the security inside the connected car. There’s also been a significant uptick in new devices and apps that communicate with the vehicle from afar. These devices and apps use traditional means of communication (e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, etc.). They also make some very common software mistakes. For instance, […]
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Posted in Automotive Security, Embedded Software Testing, Mobile Application Security | Comments Off on Automotive security goes beyond the car
The features that drive new car sales today are increasingly based on software. Drivers want their own music. They want to stay connected with their digital world. They want digital assistants to help park or even drive autonomously. While auto makers (i.e., the OEMs) have mostly mastered their physical world, with stable supply chains able […]
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Posted in Automotive Security, Embedded Software Testing | Comments Off on Secure automotive software at any speed
Last month researchers demonstrated how a mobile app for Tesla–or any other connected car — can be hacked, enabling criminal hackers to locate, unlock, and potentially steal a Tesla vehicle. Researchers from Promon disclosed a vulnerability in the mobile app used by Telsa customers to access their vehicles. According to the researchers this attack is […]
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Posted in Automotive Security, Mobile Application Security | Comments Off on Researchers hijack automotive mobile apps
In the year since the Jeep Cherokee remote access hack on a public freeway, how has the automotive industry responded? In a panel discussion at CodenomiCON 2016, industry representatives and security experts discusses what has already been done and what is still needed in the future. Moderating the discussion was Mike Ahmadi, Global Director of […]
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Posted in Automotive Security, Security Conference or Event | Comments Off on Automotive cybersecurity: Industry taking a leadership role
Last year, Uber set up an Advanced Technologies Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and began work on their latest project (no, not puppy delivery). Earlier this month they debuted their new self-driving cars, inviting “yinzers” to experience their first self-driven ride around Steel City. With a long list of really cool benefits (road trip, anyone?) there are […]
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Posted in Automotive Security | Comments Off on Autonomous vehicles: Security implications of Uber’s self-driving cars