Media Relations for a Connected World

Icon Labs Spotlight - Can Your Car's Computer Be hacked by Terrorists
09.07.2013 21:40
There are several steps that vehicle manufacturers can take to combat hackers, says Alan Grau, president of Icon Labs, which provides security solutions for embedded devices.
One is secure boot with code validation to stop hackers from uploading malicious code into a vehicle, Grau says. Even if hackers can access the diagnostic port and upload malicious code, the secure boot would detect that the code isn’t valid and wouldn’t run the insecure code. It would only run computer codes that are certified from the manufacturer.
Another step is to add packet filtering for remote unlock and start commands that come from text messages and keychains. The vehicle would filter the message packets to ensure they’re from a trusted host, Grau says, and would prevent messages sent from hackers from being recognized.