Approx. read time: 4 min.
Post: Hacking Autonomous Vehicles: Is This Why We Don’t Have Self-Driving Cars Yet?
Hacking Autonomous Vehicles: Is This Why We Don’t Have Self-Driving Cars Yet?
Takeaway:
We’re still waiting for autonomous vehicles, and some are starting to wonder if the threat of hacking might be hindering progress.
In July 2015, Wired journalists demonstrated how a Jeep Cherokee could be hacked and driven remotely. This incident left the public shocked, sparking fears about the safety of autonomous vehicles. The threat of hacking has since been flagged as a potential reason for delays in self-driving technology adoption. But are these fears justified? Are non-autonomous cars truly safer?
Why Are People So Scared of Hacking?
New technologies often seem secure until vulnerabilities are exposed, just as it was with email systems in the 90s. The AI controlling autonomous vehicles, such as NVIDIA’s deep-learning system, learns driving by observing humans and operates independently from human intervention. However, the less we understand about a system, the harder it becomes to protect it from hackers. Self-driving cars, despite their innovations, face similar challenges in cybersecurity.
Sources indicate that much of the AI used to run these vehicles—like NVIDIA’s Drive IX system—relies on deep-learning algorithms, which evolve based on human input and driving patterns. While this enhances their functionality, it also creates a challenge: a system we don’t fully control or understand becomes vulnerable to attacks .
The Consequences of Self-Driving Car Hacking
When a data center is hacked, the worst-case scenario might be data theft or loss. However, in the case of autonomous vehicles, hacking could result in loss of life. Carmakers cannot afford trial and error in this domain. The stakes are too high. According to a study by the Society for Risk Analysis, the public demands that autonomous cars be much safer than human drivers—potentially by two orders of magnitude—before they accept them on the roads.
However, it’s important to remember that most accidents involving autonomous vehicles have been caused by human drivers, not the technology itself. General Motors’ reports on crashes in California showed that human error was responsible for six crashes involving self-driving cars .
Are Self-Driving Cars More Vulnerable to Hacking?
The fear of hackers remotely taking over autonomous cars is often exaggerated. In fact, non-autonomous vehicles have already been hacked. The 2015 Jeep Cherokee hacking experiment showed how a connected car could be compromised. Autonomous vehicles are more interconnected, but their complex systems—integrating multiple layers of real-time data—can actually make hacking more difficult.
The 2015 Fiat Chrysler vulnerability is a prime example of how non-autonomous cars are also susceptible to cyberattacks, with over a million vehicles recalled due to internet-enabled vulnerabilities .
The issue with autonomous cars lies not only in their complexity but in the entry points hackers could exploit during their manufacturing or production process. Companies like BlackBerry are working on solutions to close these loopholes, such as their Jarvis software, which focuses on preventing attacks before the vehicles leave the production line .
What Are the Plans to Address the Problem?
To address cybersecurity in autonomous vehicles, companies are incorporating security from the earliest design stages. Retrofitting non-autonomous vehicles with additional sensors may not be sufficient in the long run. Instead, a comprehensive security plan needs to be integrated into the design of autonomous cars. This includes securing the wider environment in which these cars operate, such as smart infrastructure that can detect, track, and stop hacked vehicles .
Further, industries that already deal with complex security challenges, such as aerospace, are adapting their strategies to the automotive sector. For instance, Israeli company GuardKnox, which provides cybersecurity solutions for vehicles, is using the same technology that protects jet fighters like the F-35I and F-16I .
What the Future Holds
Each new wave of automobile technology brings security risks. Self-driving cars are no exception. As we move closer to widespread autonomous driving, more attention is being placed on mitigating cybersecurity risks. Although the risks are real, they are encouraging greater research and more secure manufacturing processes. According to GuardKnox CEO Moshe Shlisel, manufacturers are already adopting multi-layered approaches to secure their vehicles against potential cyberattacks .
Ultimately, while hacking fears persist, they are driving the development of robust cybersecurity measures for the future of autonomous driving.
Relevant Resources:
Related Videos:
Related Posts:
Tesla’s full self-driving technology investment: The $10 Billion Investment
How the CIA and Mossad Used a Computer Virus to Dismantle Iran’s Nuclear Program
Magna’s new MAX4 self-driving platform offers autonomy up to Level 4
Nissan follows Tesla’s lead and drops LIDAR from autonomous cars
Linux Kernel Prior to 5.0.8 Vulnerable to Remote Code Execution
Related Posts
About the Author: Bernard Aybout (Virii8)
