Category: Blog

18 August, 2020 . 4 mins read

Accessibility in Mobility: Considerations for Fleet Management in Smart Cities

By 2050, 68% of the world’s population is expected to live in urban communities. Of the estimated 6.25 billion people that will be living in city areas, 15% will be people with disabilities—an astounding 937.5 million. While those with disabilities often prefer to live in urban areas because of the increased availability of public transportation or access to medical facilities offering healthcare, the reality is that many face challenges when going from point A to point B. But when we think of the changing landscape of smart roads and smart cities, many of us often overlook the difficulties that those with disabilities face. For example, while trying to hail a taxi sounds like a simple task for many, for those in wheelchairs or dealing with other physical challenges, it is a daunting challenge. In fact, out of the millions with disabilities, around 28% rarely leave their home because of difficulties associated with transportation.

Mobility Accessibility Options for People with Disabilities

So with the future of mobility, how can society open up its doors to make smart roads more accessible? People with disabilities have a wide range of abilities and challenges, so it is crucial that we look at the issues from various points of view.

Many companies have taken note that a smart city needs to be inclusive of all of its citizens. In fact, in May 2020, Google rolled out a new mobility accessibility feature on Google Maps that displays wheelchair-friendly routes. However, when it comes to longer distances, mobility is still a challenge.

And though the rise of autonomous vehicles is currently underway, the technology still requires a “driver” that can manually take over in case of an emergency. Not all people with disabilities are able to take on this kind of responsibility, and therefore are more likely suited to taking other methods of transportation like a taxi, fixed route transit (public transportation), or ridesharing. But yet another caveat is that while these methods may be more suitable, they do come with limitations that are often out of the scope of a person’s control – taxis are less likely to stop for people with disabilities (not to mention can add up in terms of price), or accessibility entrances might be difficult for those with mobility challenges to find.

What does the accessible smart future look like?

It comes down to how the mobility industry can expand offerings to the variety and range of people with disabilities. While infrastructure like subway systems or buses can change their vehicles to be accessible to passengers of all abilities and disabilities, this can take time to research, develop, and implement. Unfortunately, the timeline of these kinds of changes is much longer because these infrastructures are not specific to mobility challenges, but must be implemented on a larger scale for the general public.

For AUTOCRYPT, this means focusing on fleet management operations specifically for those facing mobility challenges to shorten the timeline of development and implementation. In July, AUTOCRYPT partnered with 2U, a non-profit organization focused on providing the freedom of mobility accessibility to those who are unable to experience the ease of transportation.

2U’s ride hailing service is specifically geared towards those with mobility challenges – with an accessible mobile application (with TTS) designed to make dispatch smart, quick, and efficient, riders can “hail” a cab at a fraction of the price of other para-transit methods which can add up. Drivers are assigned riders by the central app itself and are trained to provide assistance to make the ride more comfortable. The service launched earlier this month in Busan, Korea and plans to expand later this year.

While long-term, our hope is that smart cities will implement transportation services that are inclusive and barrier-free. Ideally this would mean wheel-chair / cane / walker-accessible entrances and ramps, allotted seats for those with infants or pregnant women, and affordable transportation for people of all ages and socioeconomic backgrounds. However, for the short-term AUTOCRYPT’s fleet management and MaaS services will ensure that those with mobility challenges are not barred from the narrative of urban transportation.

For more information about AUTOCRYPT and its fleet management products and services, visit AUTOCRYPT’s FMS product page and learn more.

11 August, 2020 . 7 mins read

5 Impressive Software-Centric ADAS Functions in Cars of 2020

The global automotive industry is facing three irresistible trends: electrification, automation, and connectivity. All these trends move towards the ultimate goal – full autonomous driving. Believe it or not, we have long begun and are now in the midst of a revolutionary transition from manual driving to autonomous driving.

Car enthusiasts either like it or hate it. Some tech lovers can’t wait to ride in a computer on wheels, while others constantly complain about the fake exhaust pipes, fake diffusers, and fake engine sounds.

For the majority of people who see cars as nothing more than a means of transportation, automation is generally preferred. These consumers are the driving force for this change.

Advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS)

Indeed, full autonomous driving does not happen overnight, and the transformation is likely going to take another decade or more. During this transition period, automated functionalities are slowly being trialed and adopted by automotive manufacturers. These functions, generally referred to as advanced driver-assistance systems, or ADAS, make our driving experience safe and comfortable.

Some of the earliest ADAS functions include blindspot detectors and reversing cameras, which have now become the standard for nearly all new vehicles.

In this article, we will introduce some of the newest ADAS functions that are beginning to prevail in the market. Before doing so, we will give a brief explanation of how ADAS functions work.

5 components of ADAS: camera, sensor, software, processor, actuator

ADAS functions are very intuitive to use, but what’s behind the scene is extremely sophisticated. Let’s go through the five components of ADAS to see how it works.

Camera.It all starts with cameras. Most new cars have at least two cameras, one at the front and another at the back. Premium cars now have six to eight surrounding cameras capable of depicting a 360-degree view of the surrounding environment. These cameras are crucial in providing spatial information to the car.

Sensor. Cameras are not complete without sensors. Sensors are used for a wide range of purposes, including identifying both stationary and moving objects, movement speed, light, and temperature. These sensors complement the cameras by providing sensory information to the car.

Software.If the engine is the heart of the car, software is the blood. Hardware cannot operate without support from the software. Software technologies such as cloud, mobility, deep learning, and artificial intelligence are the foundation of ADAS. This is why AUTOCRYPT is important. By providing security software to vehicles, it prevents automated systems such as the ADAS from being hacked and manipulated, making it a crucial prerequisite for autonomous vehicles.

Processor. Cameras and sensors provide visual and sensory information, after which the processors use that information for calculation and tell the car how to respond to real-time environmental situations with the appropriate behaviors and adequate safety measures.

Actuator.After the processors have finished the calculations and decided on what actions to perform, the actuator communicates this information to the mechanical components so that they can execute the tasks, from power steering to acceleration and braking.

5 impressive ADAS functions of today’s cars

1. Adaptive Cruise Control and Collision Avoidance

Adaptive cruise control, sometimes called autonomous cruise control, refers to cruise control systems that use cameras, radars, and sensors to assist the driver in keeping a safe distance with the car in front, and to automatically engage the brake when necessary to avoid forward collisions.

Vehicles with adaptive cruise control are categorized as level 1 on the vehicle autonomy scale defined by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)1.

As of 2020, almost all premium cars, as well as the higher trims of midsize sedans and SUVs, come with adaptive cruise control and collision avoidance capabilities.

1 The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) developed a scale that defines 6 levels of vehicle autonomy, ranging from level 0 (fully manual) to level 5 (fully automated). It has been officially adopted by the US Department of Transportation. To learn more about the scale, click here.

2. Lane Departure Warning, Lane Keep Assist, and Automatic Lane Centering

A car with any of these features has at least one front-facing camera, often located at the upper center of the windshield, right behind the rear-view mirror. The camera is equipped with sophisticated software designed to read, identify, and track the lanes on the road.

These three features sound very similar and are often misused interchangeably, but their meanings are quite different.

A lane departure warning system sounds the alarm to warn the driver when the car is about to depart from the lane, but the driver needs to manually turn the steering wheel to get the vehicle back in lane.

A lane keep assist system does more than just sounding the alarm. It automatically engages the steering wheel when the vehicle is about to depart the lane to keep the vehicle within the lane.

A lane centering system is the most advanced of these three. It constantly powers the steering wheel and adjusts it automatically to keep the vehicle exactly at the center of the lane.

All three systems would automatically disengage when the driver turns on the indicators, so that no warning would be raised when the driver intentionally changes lanes.

Some car sellers play with words to make a lane keep assist system sound like a lane centering system. This is why consumers should be well-informed about their differences and always double-check to make sure they are actually getting the feature they want.

3. Self-Parking

Self-parking requires the same hardware as other ADAS systems: cameras, radars, and sensors. A self-parking system uses multiple cameras around the vehicle to depict a 360-degree view of the vehicle’s surrounding environment, then calculates the most efficient route and maneuvers to get into the space. Due to calculation time, self-parking tends to be slower than manual parking in most vertical parking situations. However, the feature is extremely useful for horizontal parallel parking, where even the most experienced drivers have a hard time fitting their cars into tight spaces.

Most self-parking features in the market are not fully autonomous. For example, Volvo XC60 only takes charge of the steering wheel during self-parking and instructs the driver on when to shift gears and when to release and press the brake pedal (no need to press accelerator as idle speed is enough for parking).

4. Driver Drowsiness Detection

About 20% of all traffic accidents are caused by sleep-deprived driving. In the United States alone, between 100,000 and 328,000 crashes are caused by drowsiness, leading to an estimated 5,000 deaths (National Safety Council).

Driver drowsiness detection, commonly equipped on mid-range to premium vehicles today, utilizes a built-in AI camera embedded on the dashboard to observe the driver’s facial expressions and eye movements. Whenever it detects drowsiness that is significant enough to impair driving, it would inform the driver by showing warning symbols or sounding voice notifications.

In the extreme case of the driver actually nodding off, some premium cars would try to wake the driver up by hitting the brakes suddenly (when it’s safe) to shake the vehicle. If the driver completely falls asleep, they would automatically take control of the vehicle and slowly pull over to the road shoulder.

5. Glare-Free High Beams

Drivers refrain from using high beams at night because they could temporarily impair the vision of other drivers, potentially causing accidents. Some countries even ban the use of high beams in cities and highways. However, with cameras and sensors, this is no longer an issue. Initially developed by Ford in 2016, glare-free high beams are now equipped in vehicles of other automakers as well, including the 2020 Renault Talisman (also known as Renault Samsung SM6).

How does it work? The front camera of the car is equipped with a light detection sensor that can pick up headlights and taillights of other vehicles up to 800 meters away. If another car is detected in front, it would track the front car’s position and block a small portion of the headlights that is directed at it. This way, all the angles to the left and right of the front car would still be lit up, yet the front car itself would not be hit with any of your high beams.

To learn more about ADAS and the underlying software security components in them, click here to contact AUTOCRYPT.

7 August, 2020 . 7 mins read

6 Movies/TV Shows Using Self-Driving Technology: Did They Get It Right?

While innovations regarding driverless technology have recently skyrocketed, the portrayal of self-driving technology in movies or TV shows is nothing new. As early as the 1960s, directors and producers designed a world where vehicles travel without human assistance. Their imaginations went wild with how they believed this technology would work. Here are a few of our favorite films and TV series, with our take on what they got right (and what may be yet to come).

* This blog may contain spoilers

Love Bug / Herbie Fully Loaded (1968 / 2005) – Herbie, 1963 VW Beetle

self-driving technology in movie 1960s

A comedy may seem like an odd genre to feature a self-driving car as its main star, but this 1968 self-driving technology-laden movie starred an anthropomorphic white 1963 Volkswagen Beetle named Herbie. Herbie, a mistreated “Bug.” befriends Jim, a down and out race car driver. The unlikely pair make an immediate connection and go on to win competitive races against seasoned professionals. Herbie, while having a mind of his own and speed that is unlikely for a car of his size, still requires Jim’s assistance in order to maneuver himself. Herbie seems to be able to accelerate on his own, which is a feature of Level 2, but more likely Herbie is at a Level 1 for autonomous driving which states that the vehicle is controlled but the driver, but somE assistance features are included in the vehicle (e.g., cruise control).

Knight Rider (1982 – 1986, beyond) – K.I.T.T., 1982 Pontiac Trans Am

The sidekick of Michael Knight, played by David Hasselhoff, K.I.T.T., or Knight Industries Two Thousand, is an artificially intelligent electronic software module in a 1982 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am. Because of its popularity with its viewers, after the original 1982 series, spin-offs and films were created to follow-up on the antics of this smart car. The creators described in much detail how K.I.T.T. operated. Basically an advanced supercomputer, K.I.T.T.’s brain was a microprocessor which had a “self-aware” logic module that allowed K.I.T.T. to think, learn, communicate, and even have his feelings hurt. With a dry, humorous personality that resonated with viewers, K.I.T.T. is most likely unlike any other autonomous vehicle on the market at the moment, but he did have self-driving capabilities including anti-collision detection technology, sensors to detect objects from afar, and other features like seeing in X-ray vision or infrared.

In Season 2, Episode 9, K.I.T.T. is hacked by Randy, a young hacker from Chicago. He types into the command, “Hello. My name is Randy. I want you. Don’t resist. It won’t do you any good.” With a couple more lines of code, Randy manages to hijack control of the Trans Am, although K.I.T.T. remains protected. While it’s quite unlikely that this would be a code a real hacker could use to infiltrate any kind of network or system, it is still a terrifying scenario to envision when it comes to self-driving cars on the road today. The more technologically advanced a vehicle and its system are, the more security it needs in order to function properly in society.

Total Recall (1990) – Johnny Cab

This sci-fi action film stars Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sharon Stone, and tells the story of Quaid, a construction worker who suddenly finds his identity questioned in a world of memory implants. While running from agency attackers, Quaid gets into a seemingly normal taxi to find that he is actually in a “Johnny Cab,” a taxi driven by a robotic driver, dressed in a 1950’s style blue chauffeur outfit. Johnny Cab can converse with the passenger, and can navigate through traffic to get the passenger to the destination.

Although the film came out in 1990, real-life “robo-taxis” only started testing in 2016, with MIT spinoff NuTonomy becoming the first company to make autonomous taxis available to the public in a limited area in Singapore. Since then other companies have followed suit, with Uber starting a fleet of 14 modified Ford Fusions, Waymo testing in Phoenix with 600 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrids, and Cruise Automation  (a startup acquired by General Motors) launching a beta version of a taxi service in San Francisco with Chevy Bolt EVs.

Minority Report (2002) – Lexus 2054

Although Minority Report was released in 2002, Steven Spielberg wanted the futuristic technology featured in the sci-fi film, set in 2054, to be as realistic as possible. He put together a team of 15 scientists to try to envision what technologies would be widely adopted 50 years in the future, and one of them was the autonomous vehicle. The main character, John Anderton, drives a Lexus 2054 – a fuel-cell autonomous car that Lexus designed specifically for the movie. The cars are able to weave in and out of traffic with 360-degree rotating wheels.

In one particular scene, the police are able to override the vehicle, changing the destination on his navigation system to bring Anderton into the station. So far, police commandeering of an autonomous vehicle is yet to be realized, though in 2019, police in California were able to “trick” a Tesla into pulling over by having two squad cars – one in front, and one behind. A man was arrested for driving under the influence, as Level 3 autonomous vehicles still require an aware and alert driver, despite the self-driving capabilities. This will be an interesting technology to keep tabs on, as it would affect not just the automobile makers, but also security providers and even law enforcement.

I, Robot (2004) – Audi RSQ

Another sci-fi film, I, Robot takes place in the year 2035. Del Spooner, a Chicago detective, hates the robots who serve humanity because he witnessed a robot who used logical data and odds of survival to rescue him from drowning, while letting a young girl die.

In the film, Spooner rides an Audi RSQ, a concept-car designed by Audi specifically for the movie. The RSQ is able to drive autonomously (even letting Spooner sleep throughout his ride), though it also has manual override capabilities, much to the dismay of Spooner’s fellow passengers who are not accustomed to an actual human being driving a car.

The car’s location is revealed without authorization (signaling an issue with its in-vehicle security), and Spooner is attacked by a fleet of humanoid robots, who have also been hacked by a mainframe gone rogue. One could infer that while the vehicle needs to be secure from intruders, other infrastructure and devices surrounding the vehicle also need to be secure in order to create a secure, functioning autonomous driving ecosystem.

Westworld, Season 3 (2020) – Audi Aicon, driverless ambulance

While the early seasons of this dystopian TV series were against a Western backdrop (with the only transportation methods being horse and carriage), the third season, which began airing in March 2020, takes place in neo-Los Angeles in 2058.

With an urban, future setting, the show introduces the viewers to stand-out technologies like driverless cars, motorcycles, and even driverless ambulances. In Season 3 Episode 3, one of the main protagonists, Dolores, is evacuated in a self-driving ambulance whose paramedics can focus their sole attention onto the patients (level-5 AV). The ambulance can also transport multiple injured people simultaneously, allowing for quick and efficient medical attention.

The concept, hopefully, will soon be realized in real-life. A team in Hungary has surveyed patients’ willingness to be transported in a driverless ambulance, though the findings indicated a need for more education on the part of the public in preparing for AV technology. With driverless vehicles, the technology is not limited to private vehicles, but extends to the public sector as well.

What’s next for self-driving technology?

What started out as imaginary and creative output may now be realized in the real world, on real roads. What can we expect in the next couple of decades? Well, besides more self-driving vehicles featured in popular entertainment, experts say that society is well on the way to wider adoption of AV technology, but along with technological fantasy, what films and TV shows also reveal to us is the menacing possibilities of attack or malfunction. This highlights the increasing need for security for both vehicles and infrastructure as well as technological advancement.

Read more about AUTOCRYPT and how we plan to make sci-fi technology both convenient and secure.

1 August, 2020 . 4 mins read

Infographic: Global Regulations on Autonomous Vehicles

In 1939, the idea of the autonomous vehicle (AV) was brought to life by Norman Bel Geddes when he introduced the concept of a self-driving car in a futuristic exhibit hosted by General Motors (GM). Geddes conceptualized the car to be able to “drive” by radio-controlled electromagnetic fields generated with magnetized spikes that were embedded in the roadway. Although it may have been a bit early for realizing his AV dreams, the actual technology used in building vehicles with the potential of reaching full autonomy has developed rapidly in the past decade. Although we are yet to produce fully autonomous vehicles (level 4 or above), the AV landscape is expanding at a faster-than-ever pace. With this growing landscape comes wider adoption – more and more countries are allowing AVs on the roads, though they vary in terms of regulation and guidelines. Here are some global regulations on autonomous vehicles.

South Korea

South Korea allows AVs with government issued licenses to operate on public roads. As one of the leading countries in the AV industry, it announced the opening of K-City in 2017, which is an unpopulated town model built solely for autonomous-driving testing. The test-bed is the first of its kind in the nation and the second largest in the world. AUTOCRYPT is the security leader of the ITS-project, and the security company also manages V2X security for smart roads in Sejong, Yeoju, Seoul, and Jeju.

United States

The United States has a unique governing system where each state can publish its own legislation; as such, each US state is responsible for its own autonomous driving laws. There were no set rules about driver-less AVs operating on public roads before 2018 when California and Arizona passed legislation allowing for AV operation. Many other states have followed since then.

China

China has released a then-updated road safety laws that cover driver-less vehicles on a nationwide scale. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Public Security, and the Ministry of Transport created regulations on the “Administration of Road Testing of Autonomous Vehicles.” In addition, local governments added their own regulations accordingly.

Germany

As one of the leading countries in autonomous transportation, alongside China, the US, and South Korea, Germany has a strategy in place for AVs on a national level and allows autonomous driving on public roads. Additionally, it allows companies to test drive autonomous cars on public roadways. However, the new transportation legislation requires all AVs on public roads to have a black box equipped, a counterpart data recorder.

The Netherlands

The autonomous transportation laws of the Netherlands allow for autonomous driving on public roads, and it also opened the public roads to large-scale tests with autonomous passenger cars and trucks. In the future, the Netherlands will allow experiments with driver-less AVs.

Sweden

Sweden, too, allows autonomous driving on public roads. Moreover, The Swedish Transport Agency can authorize permits and supervise trials at all levels of automation on Swedish roads. To ensure the issue of trial permits, however, the trial activity should be governed by a specific act and comply with numerous conditions specified further on the agreement form.

Australia

In Australia, each state and territory has its own road safety laws, and this has resulted in some inconsistencies across state lines in the past. The National Transport Commission introduced Australian Road Rules (ARRs) for nationwide implementation.

Many more countries have introduced AV regulations, but with the rise of level 3+ autonomous vehicles, we also see an increase in the reported number of accidents caused by and involving vehicles that are put on the autonomous-driving mode. With such differing regulations across the world in terms of testing and driving regulations, jurisdiction, or even liability, it brings up the question of whether a centralized regulatory system needs to be implemented.

Global regulations may continue to change as technology evolves and develops. What are your thoughts?

27 July, 2020 . 6 mins read

Top 6 Security Threats for Modern Vehicles

Modern vehicles have a lot of advanced safety features that keep us safe on the roads. Blindspot detection, lane keep assist, and forward-collision assist with automatic emergency braking (AEB) are some of the standard features that we take for granted. Moving a bit upward, a typical high-end vehicle today has face detection capabilities that would send all kinds of warnings when it sees the driver drowsing. If the driver fails to wake up, the car would slowly park itself on the roadside.

Very soon in the future, we are likely to see a significant decrease in traffic accidents when older cars get phased out. However, not everything is as rosy as it seems. Modern cars are essentially sophisticated computers on wheels. The more sophisticated they are, the more weak points they have, and the more possibilities for high-tech attackers to exploit them.

Indeed, modern cars are keeping us safe. But who keeps cars safe? (Hint: AUTOCRYPT)

We need to understand where the threats come from and take the correct measures to prevent them. Here we take a look at six of the top security threats for connected vehicles.

1. Attack on Smart or Digital Keys

Smart keys commonly referred to as “keyless entry”, do not require the driver to push any buttons on the key to unlocking the doors. Doors unlock automatically when the key fob is near the car. Smart keys mostly utilize infrared radiation (IR) technologies to transmit signals to the car. Digital keys built-in mobile applications work in a similar way, except that they transmit signals via Bluetooth or NFC technologies.

Under situations where the key is nearby a locked vehicle, a hacker could break into the car by gaining access to the IR communication with a brute-force attack, by using a relay box to scan and reflect the communication signals, or by manipulating the Bluetooth communication between the smartphone and the vehicle. Automakers have started to make keys with much shorter signal transmission ranges, in which the key fob or smartphone needs to be right beside the doors for them to unlock.

2. Attack on Embedded Software

Modern cars have up to 80 electronic control units (ECUs) that keep the vehicle functioning. The embedded software in these ECUs is not only growing in numbers but is becoming increasingly complex. Critical functions like the anti-lock braking system (ABS) and electronic injection lineup are all controlled by ECUs. The embedded software analyzes data such as temperature, engine speed, and accelerator position to determine the optimal behavior of the fuel injectors, hence delivering the optimal results depending on the driver’s settings (e.g. eco, comfort, sports, etc.).

Attackers can inject malware into the ECUs to manipulate their state and actions, posing a significant threat on the functioning of the vehicle. To protect these built-in software from external threats, automakers need to provide prompt software patches and invest in a reliable in-vehicle firewall.

AutoCrypt IVS is an advanced firewall optimized for automotive communication protocols. With two decades of experience in intrusion detection, AutoCrypt IVS effectively blocks all malicious traffic from entering the vehicle system. Click here to learn more.

3. Attack on Software Applications

In-vehicle infotainment systems have become just as important as the engines. Other than the built-in applications, Android Auto and Apple Carplay are now offering an increased number of vehicle-compatible mobile applications from a wide range of categories, including navigation apps, payment apps, media apps, social networking apps.

Similar to embedded software, built-in software applications need to be constantly updated and patched, as well as protected by an in-vehicle firewall. To prevent threats coming from mobile applications, vehicle-to-device (V2D) security measures should also be deployed.

AutoCrypt V2D is a security solution that protects the communications between vehicles, mobile devices, and cloud service providers. Click here to learn more.

4. Attack on Sensors

The majority of modern cars have certain degrees of autonomous driving capability, ranging from SAE Level 1 to Level 4. (Click here to see SAE’s automation level definitions.) To provide such driving assistance and autonomous driving features, a wide range of sensors must be built within the cars to help them detect road conditions, lighting conditions, obstacles, moving objects (e.g. cars and pedestrians), and inertia. Cars also rely on GPS data to locate and navigate with high precision.

Threat actors could exploit vulnerabilities in these sensors to undermine their range, detection capabilities, and reliability. They could also manipulate GPS data to provide wrong directions and control the route of the vehicle (for Level 4 automation). State-backed APT groups could hack into the sensors of multiple vehicles to cause mass-scale collisions and destruction.

5. Attack on Cloud-based Servers

After the sensors collect all the data, they transmit that information to the cloud database to enhance the autonomous driving experience, and also to enable communications between the vehicle and the transportation system. Thus large amounts of data are sent to the cloud database.

Sophisticated threat actors could compromise the cloud databases to steal sensitive information about the vehicles and the drivers. These data could be used to identify weaknesses of a vehicle, which could be exploited for future intrusions and phishing campaigns.

6. Attack on Networks

Modern vehicles are all part of the vehicle-to-everything (V2X) network. The V2X network consists of countless numbers of vehicle-to-device (V2D), vehicle-to-grid (V2G), and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication messages. These communications would increase substantially once cooperative-intelligent transportation systems (C-ITS) roll out on a large scale. As such, a car is exposed to hundreds of endpoints that could serve as entry points for hackers.

To protect the car in a V2X network, an in-vehicle firewall is not enough. An authentication framework must be put in place to verify every user before allowing them to connect to the vehicle system.

AutoCrypt V2X utilizes user authentication and data encryption technologies to secure all sensitive information related to the vehicle. AutoCrypt PKI supplements V2X by offering a certificate-based authentication system for external users like vehicles, pedestrians, and road infrastructure. Click here to learn more.

Safety is the Number One Priority

Safety has always been paramount in transportation. We expect seatbelts and airbags to work in the event of a collision, and expect the car to not catch on fire after crashing. But as we transition into this new era of connected vehicles, we as consumers do not seem to have any clear expectations yet.

This is why AUTOCRYPT is not only providing the most complete vehicle security solution for the industry. It is also working with automakers and other security experts to establish an international security standard that would help shape expectations, set up high standards, and keep our roads safe in the era of automation.

22 July, 2020 . 4 mins read

Why COVID-19 Has Made Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) Security Even More of a Necessity

When the concept of Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) began and companies and organizations began their research and implementation into EV systems, the main aim was to have an optimal energy management system. EVs, when charging bidirectionally, would not only maintain a minimum charge but balance the grid and minimize emission. The system’s goal is twofold: to increase efficiency in terms of renewable energy sources and costs, and simultaneously balance the demand for electricity on the grid. While no one could have imagined the paradigm shift that would occur worldwide through COVID-19, industries, and even new technologies are now trying to shift and evolve in order to meet the demands of the millions whose lives must go on in terms of their household, career, and transportation. With work-from-home (WFH) and social distancing deemed “the new normal,” there’s an increasing number of people who have no choice but to work and communicate remotely, meaning, technologies like V2G and consequently V2G security may now be more necessary than ever before.

V2G for Customers and Businesses

From March to April 2020, 30 million Americans filed for unemployment. The growing figures are an obvious sign of how many are facing financial strain due to COVID-19. However, at least for EV owners with Plug & Charge (PnC) capabilities, their electric bills may be minimized by using smart charge systems. For bi-directional PnC users with charging points in their homes, because their vehicles are spending more time parked in the garage than driving on the road, their batteries have more of the capacity to be used to power the grid. This can be good news for clients who are spending more time at home powering their laptops, entertainment systems, and home appliances while WFH, but do not necessarily have the financial means to be beholden to surge pricing.

For businesses with EV charging points, management of their services during the COVID-19 pandemic remains crucial – with an unbalanced supply chain (weakening demand in some industries with skyrocketing demand in others) and increasing financial pressures, PnC allows for businesses to set limits on energy consumption and avoid surge pricing, allowing them to maintain operations. Especially for start-ups or small businesses, minimizing operations costs is crucial: estimates show that more than 100,000 small businesses have permanently closed due to the pandemic.

Both customers and businesses can enjoy the benefits of PnC, as most offer real-time data available through an app or online platform. This can further allow users to optimize their charging during off-peak hours and maximize financial returns.

V2G Security

However, as with all connected technology, the technology itself is only half of the equation. With increased usage comes even more temptations for tampering. All parties involved from manufacturers, Mobility Operators (MO) all the way to Charge Point Operators (CPO) must ensure that the connections that the charge points are safe from intruders — because like it or not, owning a connected vehicle comes with social responsibility.

The most obvious damage that uninvited “guests” may wreak is through tampering with the payment systems. PnC allows for easy, streamlined payment, which means everything is done through payment methods and membership registration information already in the system. With loose security regulations, this could mean that payment systems could be hijacked without anyone ever knowing. During a critical time such as this, it is definitely not in anyone’s best interest to be hacked, left with an even thinner wallet than before. This is why AutoCrypt, in accordance with the international ISO 15118 Standard ensures that encryption and digital signatures are implemented to protect vehicles during charging.

The second concern is one that may fly under the radar, but EVs and V2G focus on the exchange of data – the time of day, the amount of charge, the pricing, and the payment methods for the vehicles and the charging points. Data monetization is becoming more and more lucrative as more EVs and connected cars hit the market and the economy suffers further due to COVID-19 — and in the wrong hands, this could mean loss of privacy and even in worst-case scenarios, data terrorism.

These are just a couple of reasons why AUTOCRYPT not only provides a comprehensive security solution, but is constantly working with manufacturers, MOs, and CPOs to ensure that customers on and off the road are able to keep safe in this connected car era. In a time where things are unpredictable, perhaps it would be safe to say that no one wants the security of your vehicle and wallet put into that group as well.

Stay safe, wash your hands, and keep your connections secure.