In an era where vehicles function as connected digital platforms, automotive safety now encompasses both physical crashworthiness and cyber resilience. In this blog, we will examine why automotive security testing counts, how penetration testing (pen-testing) functions for cars, the main problems, and how businesses can get ahead.
Why Automotive Security Matters
Modern automobile systems are more connected, complex, and software-heavy than ever. Deloitte reports that a premium car can have “70 to 100 small computers (Electronic About 100 million lines of software code. With the growing complexity, the call for solid automotive device security to keep vehicle parts, onboard systems, and connected features safe from new cyber threats became a must.
Modern automobiles offer a “large and sophisticated attack surface” during the shift to software-defined vehicles (SDVs), according to Arm Limited. This matters because every new connection, Bluetooth, WiFi, cellular, V2X (vehicle-to-everything), or OTA (over-the-air) update, presents possible vulnerabilities.
Hackers could gain access, elevate privileges, and possibly control or sabotage vehicle systems (brakes, steering, gateway ECUs) by exploiting poorly secured modules or weak gateways. Include the regulatory element. For instance, the standard ISO/SAE 21434, “Road vehicles – Cybersecurity engineering,” was unveiled in 2021 to address such problems.
Source: https://qualysec.com/automotive-security-testing/