No safety without security

Modern vehicles should no longer be considered a closed mechanical system. They now have complicated and highly sophisticated IT systems that use many interconnected Electronic Control Units (ECUs) with multiple external interfaces. However, this increased complexity of the electronic system leads to a higher risk of cyber-attacks by hackers and malware programs. In order to make modern vehicles safe and trustworthy, securing these sophisticated automotive IT platforms is of paramount importance. Adding security to these automotive platforms is a major challenge that is yet to be overcome. Further, the security of automotive IT has not been given adequate focus in the research and development of automotive electronic control platforms.