Unsettled Topics Concerning the Impact of Quantum Technologies on Automotive Cybersecurity

Quantum computing is considered the “next big thing” when it comes to solving computational problems impossible to tackle using conventional computers. However, a major concern is that quantum computers could be used to crack current cryptographic schemes designed to withstand traditional cyberattacks.

This threat also impacts future automated vehicles as they become embedded in a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) ecosystem. In this scenario, encrypted data is transmitted between a complex network of cloud-based data servers, vehicle-based data servers, and vehicle sensors and controllers. While the vehicle hardware ages, the software enabling V2X interactions will be updated multiple times. It is essential to make the V2X ecosystem quantum-safe through use of “post-quantum cryptography” as well other applicable quantum technologies.

This SAE EDGE™ Research Report considers the following three areas to be unsettled questions in the V2X ecosystem:

• How soon will quantum computing pose a threat to connected and automated vehicle technologies?
• What steps and measures are needed to make a V2X ecosystem “quantum-safe?”
• What standardization is needed to ensure that quantum technologies do not pose an unacceptable risk from an automotive cybersecurity perspective?