Driving with Sharks: Rethinking Connected Vehicles with Vehicle Cybersecurity

TLDR

Motor vehicles are increasingly vulnerable to remote cyberattacks, with threats ranging from engine shutdowns to remote hacks that can occur even from miles away. The article seeks to illuminate current vehicle cybersecurity threats such as malware, OBD vulnerabilities, and automobile app risks. The authors illustrate the in‑vehicle network architecture and demonstrate contemporary defensive mechanisms to mitigate these threats. They demonstrate that modern defensive mechanisms can effectively mitigate these vehicle cybersecurity threats.

Abstract

In a public service announcement on 17 March 2016, the Federal Bureau of Investigation jointly with the U.S. Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released a warning regarding the increasing vulnerability of motor vehicles to remote exploits [18]. Engine shutdowns, disabled brakes, and locked doors are a few examples of possible vehicle cybersecurity attacks. Modern cars grow into a new target for cyberattacks as they become increasingly connected. While driving on the road, sharks (i.e., hackers) need only to be within communication range of a vehicle to attack it. However, in some cases, they can hack into it while they are miles away. In this article, we aim to illuminate the latest vehicle cybersecurity threats including malware attacks, on-board diagnostic (OBD) vulnerabilities, and automobile apps threats. We illustrate the in-vehicle network architecture and demonstrate the latest defending mechanisms designed to mitigate such threats.