How to make a breakthrough in the security of the Internet of Vehicles?

However, what is certain is that the automotive and technology industries will never stop.

On the contrary, from the realization that the car has become a smart terminal that needs network security protection like smart devices such as mobile phones and tablet computers, we know very well that Internet cars will become a new target for hacker attacks and violence with crowbars. Compared with car theft, car cyber attacks have become a more convenient way to steal cars in the era of the Internet of Vehicles.

So, where is the security problem of the Internet of Vehicles now? How do security incidents divide responsibility and how to avoid it to the greatest extent? Is drone technology just a gimmick or does it work? Recently, Dr. Kevin Curran, a senior member of the IEEE and the head of the EU Framework Program, accepted an interview on these issues.

The first step in securing the safety of the car network

Currently, the Internet of Vehicles already has as many as 100 independent computers and electronic control units (ECUs). These ECUs are found throughout the car, including steering, cruise control, airbag deployment and braking. Not only can ECUs connect to each other, but they can also connect to the Internet, making car systems more vulnerable to Trojans, viruses, and denial of service attacks (DoS).

Regarding car network security, the main concern now is that hackers can control cars through various channels, such as controlling the playing of music in the car, forcibly downloading rogue software, disabling the ignition system, and remotely controlling the braking system. Researchers have shown through experiments that hackers can use telematics systems to control vehicles and use wireless connections to embed malware in in-vehicle systems. At the same time, handset hardware that provides in-vehicle system connectivity has also proven vulnerable to malware attacks, which may allow hackers to remotely unlock and steal vehicles.

“Similar to the situation encountered in the early days of Internet development, the issue of car network security has not caught the attention of manufacturers. Therefore, manufacturers pay attention to this and are the first step to ensure the safety of the car network. They should consider it in the design stage. All access ports are equipped with firewalls to limit access to systems such as entertainment systems and on-board diagnostic ports to ensure security.” Dr. Kevin Curran said that if automakers believe that programmers are more effective than drivers in ensuring driving safety. Large, then they may calculate the cost of litigation and insurance at the time of the accident in the price of the car.

In fact, automakers have made corresponding efforts for cybersecurity issues. In 2014, the Automakers Alliance and the Global Automobile Manufacturers Association formed an alliance called Auto-ISAC to combat car hackers. Alliance members can share hacker information that has been attempted to attack vehicles, creating a secure firewall for cloud-based data links and automotive interconnect communications in advance. An Electronic Safety Vehicle Intrusion Prevention Application (EVITA) was also developed to design, validate and build an in-vehicle network architecture to prevent security-related components from being tampered with and to protect sensitive data.

He pointed out that in addition to the aviation and medical fields, the test methods used by technical experts to design products are generally not strict enough, and often find solutions after problems occur. Therefore, the above-mentioned automobile system error and high-speed operation cannot be braked. He stressed that although the cause of the accident is multifaceted, the industry should establish a strong and safe car system, because any flaw in the system design can have serious consequences.

Is the responsibility of the person still a malfunction of the car?

Dr. Kevin Curran believes that there are many problems in the accountability investigation of driverless car accidents, "One of the key issues is whether it is necessary to confirm whether the driver is responsible or the car itself has failed." From the current Uber accident video, Uber has no signs of braking before the accident, and technical experts almost unanimously believe that this is due to the failure of Uber's automatic driving technology. At the same time, the default of the safety driver is also considered to be an important cause of the accident.

In fact, the current brakeless braking and lane keeping assist systems included in the driverless car technology will give the driver an illusion of “absolute safety” to some extent, resulting in an increase in the number of accidents in the short term. . This is because, with the help of driverless technology, the driver mistakenly thinks that there is no need to pay attention to the road surface. However, the current unmanned technology has not been perfected, and the accident will continue to occur until the next breakthrough in the technology.

Although the aftermath of the Uber unmanned event has not retreated, Dr. Kevin Curran is still optimistic about the future prospects of driverless driving. “The Uber driverless car accident has undoubtedly further deepened public concerns about driverless technology. But I still think that driverless cars will replace ordinary cars, although at present, the era of completely abandoning manual driving is still coming.”

He believes that relevant reports have greatly influenced the promotion and application of emerging automotive technologies: just as the industry introduced the anti-lock braking system (ABS) in automobiles for the first time, social negative reports and remarks made the technology Market promotion was greatly hampered; when the Electronic Stability Control (ESP) was introduced, there was also a lack of communication and education for consumers, so that the public did not know how to use the technology. However, these technologies can effectively reduce the mortality rate in the event of an accident. Therefore, it is necessary for the industry to let consumers understand the principles of the related technologies and the benefits they can bring, so as to better implement similar emerging automobile technologies.

Progress in policy and technology

On March 1, the first batch of intelligent network connection vehicle open road test number plates were issued in Shanghai. This means that China officially opened the road test for driverless cars. Before Shanghai, Guangzhou took the lead in starting road test in February this year. As early as December 2017, the Beijing Municipal Transportation Commission issued a new autopilot test for joint multi-department, giving legal status to autopilot. From the current point of view, Shanghai and Guangzhou are slightly ahead and enter the actual road test. Beijing has just begun to close the road test.

Policy support is accompanied by the rapid development of mobile communication technologies that support the Internet of Vehicles - "5G is extremely important for the development of autonomous vehicles, especially for in-vehicle interconnection technology," Dr. Kevin Curran pointed out, with less than 10 provided by 5G technology. With ultra-low latency of milliseconds, we can communicate in real time with the car, which will most likely prevent accidents. The IEEE's Vehicle Technology Association (VTS), which focuses on electrical and electronic engineering in mobile radio, motor vehicles and land transportation, hosts two in-vehicle technology conferences each year and also assists in the establishment of DSRC (Special Short Range Communications). And IEEE1609 wireless communication standard - wireless access (WAVE) in the vehicle environment.

He analyzed that through 5G technology, when a traffic accident occurs, the vehicle interconnection technology can send relevant details to the service center in real time, such as accident time, vehicle location, vehicle information and owner's name, which can greatly enhance the personnel of the vehicle. It is still possible to survive. Take GM's Anjixing system as an example, it can provide in-vehicle communication, navigation, remote diagnosis and related security technology. Its automatic collision response system uses sensors to detect collisions and can automatically remind emergency contacts. Toyota's cooperative security research The Center is further using collision data to predict the type and severity of possible injuries for passengers in a collision, and automatically collecting and transmitting this information in real time means that help can help rescuers reach faster and save lives.

At the same time, in order to achieve large-scale development of unmanned driving, it is necessary to cooperate with national intelligent transportation infrastructure and related systems (such as traffic signal control systems), such as parking information, weather forecast, bridge deck deicing, container management. System, variable information signs, automatic license plate recognition, etc. “We anticipate that driverless cars will rely more on sensors built into the road and be turned on during road construction maintenance or emergency situations to remind each car that it needs to slow down or stop. Finally, we can expect roads and future unmanned driving. The car is more interactive,” Dr. Kevin Curran said.

How does driverless really make a breakthrough?

On the one hand, as people's attention is increasingly concentrated on online social media, in addition to promoting the development of driverless technology, this addiction may also bring hidden dangers to people's safe travel before the advent of the era of unmanned driving.

On the other hand, car-related expenses also increase the society's expectation of unmanned car technology: transportation expenses such as the use and maintenance costs of ordinary cars account for considerable expenses. The data shows that the average commuting time spent in the car in the UK is 250 hours per year, affecting production and quality of life; in urban areas, about 40% of fuel consumption is on the way to find parking spaces. In addition, the annual casualties caused by traffic accidents have caused huge losses, prompting the National Traffic Safety Administration to focus on self-driving cars, hoping to make autonomous vehicles escort human drivers and stay away from traffic accidents.

The advancement of auto-driving technology by major automakers around the world is accelerating. For example, BMW has planned to achieve a Level 5 driverless experience in 2021 (no driver license required, no human intervention). Dr. KevinCurran believe that driverless car technology probably will force insurance companies to rethink their business models - as driven by technology, the number of traffic accidents will be a sharp decline in the long run. Since autonomous vehicles do not cause traffic accidents like distractions like drivers, the number of traffic accidents is expected to drop by 80% by 2035.

In addition to infrastructure and transportation networks, a major obstacle to driverless technology is the issue of legislation. Although these laws will change with the popularity of technology, the legislation related to car traffic is still very strict. Skeptics believe that the probability of a car network failure is too high, but supporters believe that these will be improved with the improvement of driverless technology. Dr. Kevin Curran stressed, “In order for the driverless technology to make a breakthrough, the government needs to have confidence in the electronics and try to get them to take over the drive.”