Driving with Sharks: Rethinking Connected Vehicles with Vehicle Cyber Security

Abstract

In a public service announcement on March 17, 2016, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) jointly with the Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, released a warning over the increasing vulnerability of motor vehicles to remote exploits . Engine shutdown, disable brakes and door locks are few examples of the possible vehicle cyber security attacks. Modern cars grow into a new target for cyberattacks as they become increasingly connected. While driving on the road, sharks (i.e., hackers) only need to be within communication range of your 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 cyber security threats including malware attacks, On-Board Diagnostic (OBD) vulnerabilities, and auto mobile apps threats. We illustrate the In-Vehicle network architecture and demonstrate the latest defending mechanisms that are designed to mitigate such threats.