Every country is responsible for taking certain measures to ensure its cybersecurity. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has recently issued guidelines for automakers and developers. This is not long after the cyberattack that took the whole nation by surprise.
NHTSA Guidelines On Cybersecurity For Cars
NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind has encouraged that everyone involved should be constantly moving, adapting and improving. This is to keep pace with the changing environment of technology and cybersecurity. Otherwise, Rosekind also added that no single or static approach is sufficient.
Automakers should also focus on the cybersecurity of their cars when designing it. The guidelines will also provide protections once the cybersecurity has been broken by hackers.
According to The Washington Post, the NHTSA has offered a list of specific dangers to avoid. For instance, they have advised to lock down or seal the doorways into a car's basic electronic systems once the cars hit the road. Software developers use it for fixing bugs.
Another important point by the NHTSA is the use of different encryption keys or passwords. Hackers will easily access multiple vehicles if there's a common password for the car computers.
NHTSA wants automakers to harden the vehicle's electronic architecture. Hackers can just launch an attack if the cybersecurity is that vulnerable.
The Safety Critical Vehicle Control Systems
Though the said guidance is non-binding, there's a recommendation of priority on safety-critical vehicle control systems and personally identifiable information. Automakers are also reminded to create an inventory of all vehicles and equipment that have some form of connectivity to each other or to other services.
According to TechCrunch, the guidelines encourages information sharing using the mechanism called the Automotive Information Sharing and Analysis Center. Apparently, this urges automakers to create jointly.
It's also important for the automakers to practice rapid detection and remediation capabilities.
You can read the NHTSA's full guidelines here provided by TechCrunch.
