Policing the Standards

Safety and reliability have long been at the heart of automotive code. Today, however, they are inseparable from security. The risk of malicious attacks has been addressed by a new set of guidelines for the widely used Misra C standard for automotive software. The explosion of software content in today’s automobiles means almost everything in the modern car is controlled and linked by code. Software now runs from engine control to cabin air conditioning to opening and closing windows to entertainment systems and, yes, to outside communications. And that is raising serious security concerns. We have already seen an online service being able – at the request of police – to shut down and stop a vehicle being pursued. And if the good guys can get in, so can the bad guys.

Read more: Vehicle Electronics