The British government issued new guidelines on Sunday
requiring manufacturers of Internet-connected vehicles to put in place
tougher cyber protections to ensure they are better shielded against
hackers.
The government said it was concerned that
smart vehicles, which allow drivers to do things such as access maps and
travel information, could be targeted by hackers to access personal
data, steal cars that use keyless entry systems, or take control of
technology for malicious reasons.
The new guidelines
will also ensure that engineers seek to design out cyber security
threats as they develop new vehicles, the government said.
(The
British government issued new guidelines requiring manufacturers of
Internet-connected vehicles to put in place tougher cyber protections.
/Reuters Photo)
"Whether we're turning vehicles
into WiFi-connected hotspots or equipping them with millions of lines of
code to become fully automated, it is important that they are protected
against cyber-attacks," Martin Callanan, a minister in the Department
for Transport, said in a statement.
"Our key
principles give advice on what organizations should do, from the board
level down, as well as technical design and development considerations."
The
new guidelines include making the systems able to withstand receiving
corrupt, invalid or malicious data or commands, and allowing users to
delete personally identifiable data held on a vehicle's systems.
(Traffic flows along the M56 motorway as the sun sets near Manchester, northern England. /Reuters Photo)
Manufacturers
must make plans for how to maintain and support security over the
lifetime of the vehicle, the government said, and personal
accountability for product security should be held at board level.
Alongside this, the government said it was also planning new legislation governing insurance for self-driving cars.
The
introduction of self-driving cars has been hampered by legal hurdles in
several countries as insurers and legislators try to establish who
would ultimately be responsible in the event of an accident.
"Measures
to be put before parliament mean that insuring modern vehicles will
provide protection for consumers if technologies fail," it said.