Autonomous cars can save lives. They offer intuitive features, such as having your vehicle drive up to your location in a parking lot, and reduce the need for driver input on the road. However, as experts in Miami cybersecurity, we also know that while there are many advantages to autonomous cars, there are also potential security risks.
The Advantages of Autonomous Cars
Self-driving vehicles can change the world of transportation. Waymo recently announced their driverless robo-taxis with Uber, which will be piloting in Atlanta and Austin. Public availability for these features will begin in 2025, helping people get to and from their destinations faster.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration states that the main advantages of autonomous cars are:
- Safety: Advanced driver assistance systems can detect and avoid dangers on the road. While not perfected just yet, these technologies can spot bicyclists and pedestrians and react accordingly, from stepping on the brakes to swerving out of the way.
- Mobility: Certain people without a driver’s license or those unable to attain one for numerous reasons will gain mobility with autonomous vehicles. Parents, for example, can have the vehicle drive their children to school.
- Efficiency: Interconnected autonomous vehicles can reduce traffic delays, increase fuel efficiency and save on vehicle emissions, too.
Of course, the greatest advantage of autonomous vehicles will be that once they’re perfected, the risk of accidents and accident-related fatalities will drop significantly. In the future, lives can and will be saved with the help of autonomous vehicles, and the economic impacts of accidents will be reduced at the same time.
The Potential Security Risks of Autonomous Cars
Although autonomous vehicles have advantages, they also raise serious concerns about security.
In fact, FBI Director Christopher Wray likened autonomous cars to a national security risk when speaking at the World Economic Forum Discussion on Technology and National Security last year.
Some of the top concerns include:
Autonomous Vehicles Can Be Hacked and Controlled Remotely
The risk of hacking and controlling autonomous vehicles isn’t theoretical. In 2015, cybersecurity professionals demonstrated that it was possible to hack a vehicle and take control of it remotely.
They managed to hack into a Jeep and remotely control its radio and climate control system and even cut the transmission while the vehicle was in motion.
The threat of having your vehicle controlled remotely is a very real one, and that threat becomes even greater as vehicles become more autonomous and drivers are given less control.
Driver Data Security May Be At Risk
Modern vehicles are loaded with cameras and microphones. Tesla vehicles, for example, have nine cameras. These cameras help monitor surroundings and can also record traffic events and accidents. The trouble is that these cameras don’t stop running when the vehicle is off and unoccupied.
While they can be used as surveillance to help prevent theft and vandalism, they can also put the driver’s personal data at risk.
In April 2023, reports surfaced that Tesla employees were sharing videos from customer vehicles with each other and with people outside of the organization. These videos often contain location data, so when vehicles are parked at the person’s home, those who can access the vehicle’s videos can also learn the driver’s home address.
Conclusion
The rise of autonomous vehicles brings forth exciting technological advancements, but it also poses major security concerns. As experts in cybersecurity in Miami, we can see the potential vulnerabilities that hackers may exploit to deploy attacks, but legislation can help address and prevent these issues before they have a chance to escalate.