Vehicles should be ‘secure by design’ when it comes to cyber security, says KPMG

Wil Rockall, Director at KPMG’s cyber securitypractice, comments on news that security experts have developed technology thatwould keep automobiles safe from cyber attacks. He said:

“As the automotiveindustry increases the level of technology used in new vehicles, the nature ofthreats also increases particularly in the form of cyber-attacks.  Theseattacks could potentially allow cyber-attackers to penetrate in-car systems,either using physical interaction or also by seizing control through attacksover the Internet; typically a connected car network has over 50 potentialaccess points for a cyber-attacker now, and this will only increase as thelevel of technology integrated into the car goes up.  Three years agocriminals sought access to vehicles by stealing the keys, but todaythree-quarters of cars stolen in London are done so without them, principallythrough electronic methods.‎ It isimportant that cyber-attacks do not become physical ones because manufacturersare unable or unwilling to design in security.

“The industry needsto invest in creating systems that are securely built and well tested, withcapabilities that can be improved as threats evolve and vulnerabilities arediscovered. The public must be able to trust the new systems put in place andbe confident when operating their vehicles that a “crash” is not going to becaused by cyber attackers.

“Simply introducing acar ‘security product’ is not a strong enough defence, nor is it a wisestrategic direction of travel for the industry, we should look towards makingvehicles ‘secure by design’.  This will provide security measures aimed atpreventing vulnerabilities from being attackable, rather than accepting flawsin design and masking them with a third part conventional security product.”

About KPMG

KPMG LLP, a UKlimited liability partnership, is a subsidiary of KPMG Europe LLP and operatesfrom 22 offices across the UK with approximately 11,500 partners andstaff.  The UK firm recorded a turnover of £1.8 billion in the year endedSeptember 2013. KPMG is a global network of professional firms providing Audit,Tax, and Advisory services. It operates in 155 countries and has 155,000professionals working in member firms around the world. The independent memberfirms of the KPMG network are affiliated with KPMG International Cooperative(“KPMG International”), a Swiss entity.  Each KPMG firm is alegally distinct and separate entity and describes itself as such.