In the movies, master spy James Bond typically saves the world with well-equipped cars, but villains in today's world have long found ways to turn ordinary cars into vehicles that serve criminal purposes. Ta.
The European Union now wants to stem the growing security threats associated with modern vehicle technology, particularly electric vehicles (EVs). Automotive electronics not only increase driver convenience and contribute to road safety, but also enhance the surveillance of the vehicle and its users.
The United Nations and European Union recognized this and responded with UN Regulations R155 and R156, which address cybersecurity threats from vehicle software updates. The new rules impose even higher requirements on car companies and their suppliers and will come into force in the EU from July 7.
four wheel spy
For German economist Moritz Schlalick, cybersecurity in the auto industry is even a “national security issue.”
“It's about sensitive data that can be siphoned off, especially in the case of electric cars. From an intelligence agency perspective, these cars with lots of sensors and cameras can become four-wheeled spy machines. None other than that,” Schulerik told a German business newspaper. handelsblatt March.
In December 2023, the economist and cybersecurity expert said at a conference on the subject co-hosted by DW that modern electric vehicles (EVs) driving around cities “capture everything that's happening around them. ” and warned that the data would be transferred to the manufacturer. , many of which are in China.
“Do we want that? Do we want the eyes and ears of a foreign government monitoring our streets through millions of cars?” he asked the audience.
here, there, anywhere
According to a March 2024 study titled “Automotive Cybersecurity.”—Written by Germany's Center for Automotive Management (CAM) in collaboration with US software giant Cisco Systems — Cybersecurity threats in the automotive industry are imminent.
According to the study, the risk of cyberattacks on the automotive industry is increasing due to the increasing networking and digitalization of vehicles, production, and logistics. “The proliferation of software-defined vehicles, electromobility, autonomous driving and interconnected supply chains is further increasing cyber risks,” said CAM Director Stefan Bratzel, one of the study's co-authors, at DW told.
This study vividly shows how vulnerable the industry has become.
Two years ago, for example, Toyota had to halt production after its suppliers were affected by an alleged cyber attack. In 2022, multinational auto parts manufacturer Continental was targeted by cybercriminals who stole critical data from its IT systems despite extensive protection against hacking attacks. Another example cited in the study is US electric car pioneer Tesla, which was targeted in March 2023. At the time, hackers gained access to vehicle software that controls car functions such as honking the horn, opening the trunk, and turning on the headlights. Operate your car's infotainment system.
End of the road that can accommodate multiple vehicle types
Due to new regulations, some manufacturers are withdrawing models from their lineups.
In the case of German consumer car manufacturer Volkswagen (VW), this includes the Up compact car and the Transporter T6.1 van. Luxury car maker Porsche will discontinue production of its Macan, Boxster and Cayman models in Europe, and will sell them only as internal combustion engine versions in countries with looser regulations, German news agency dpa recently reported. Audi, Renault and Smart also plan to stop producing older models because they don't meet new cybersecurity standards.
VW brand chief Thomas Schäfer told dpa that the action was necessary due to high compliance costs. “Otherwise, a completely new electronic architecture would need to be integrated.” [in the car model]That would simply be too expensive,” he said.
Wibke Fastenrath, head of Volkswagen's commercial vehicles division, confirmed this to DW, saying that implementing the regulations for T6.1 vans, for example, would require “very large investments” in the soon-to-be-deprecated platform. He said it would be. “These investments were not made due to the short remaining life of the model, especially as successor models are already on the market,” she said.
“Cybersecurity cleanup is essential for the auto industry”
German luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz is “well prepared” to switch to safer car electronics, company spokesperson Julian Weckenmann told DW. “Regulations have no impact on our portfolio. All of our architectures meet the requirements and are or will be certified in accordance with UN R155/R156.”
Volkswagen's Wiebke Furstenrath said the company is ready to make the switch “for the new 2025 model year.”
CAM Director Stefan Bratzel noted that professional cybersecurity strategies are becoming increasingly important due to the “cleanup of the automotive industry.”
Bratzel and the study's co-author, Cisco System's Christian Korff, believe that the automotive industry “cannot tolerate vulnerabilities in the cyber domain.”
“Only companies that provide safe vehicles and services at all levels will be able to maintain customer trust,” he said at the conclusion of the study.
This article was originally written in German.
