Counteracting cyber-attacks

As vehicle systems become more complex and interact with more internal and external elements, the potential for outside intrusion and tampering increases for both vehicles and the transportation infrastructure.

Today's vehicles contain a number of systems designed to help improve overall vehicle safety and performance. These systems may control essential vehicle functions such as steering, braking, and/or propulsion, and much emphasis has been placed on ensuring that these safety-critical vehicle systems operate as intended and help prevent potentially hazardous situations from occurring. Now more emphasis is being placed on ensuring the cyber security of these critical automotive systems.

A security-critical automotive system is one in which losses could occur due to vulnerabilities that could be exploited either directly or indirectly by either an external or internal entity. As awareness of the potential ramifications of cyber-attacks on vehicles increases, more emphasis is being placed on ways to help reduce the likelihood of successful attacks and on ways to help reduce the potential impact of potential attacks.