Background
Have you seen an Electric Vehicle (EV) on the road yet? Maybe you’ve been cut off by a fully electric Tesla on Deerfoot. Or you may have saved a few dollars by taking an “Eco-Friendly Uber Green,” which was most likely a Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV). Electric Vehicles are run on electric motors instead of gasoline engines [7]. These vehicles require to be charged after every ~300km [9] in a wall plug-in or electric vehicle supply equipment to recharge its large traction battery pack [10]. EVs are significantly more exposed to cyber security risks with more technology involved than the good old 2005 Honda Civic.
What’s happening today?
Earlier this week, on March 1, 2022, hackers launched an attack on select Electric Vehicle Charging Stations in Russia. [11] Electric Vehicles at these stations could not be charged during this time, and messages with derogatory slang about Putin and the words “Glory to Ukraine!” were displayed on the screens. [1] With this news, we see another example of how hacking into technology will be involved in modern warfare.
Breaking Down the Issue:
This specific hack in Russia is reportedly from “AutoEnterprise by Rosseti,” the Ukrainian company that provided the parts for the chargers. They claim to have exploited a back-door in the system that allowed this sustained distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack. [11]
Research on vulnerabilities in EV chargers has concluded that these security shortfalls pose a significant risk to the safety and operation of electric grids. In Russia, access to charging was effectively stopped during the attack. Hackers can turn chargers on and off or even use EV charging stations as a cyberweapon to overload the electric grid and cause widespread power cuts. [3]
But that’s not all! Along with these concerns, EV chargers are an access point to the Electric Vehicles that connect to them. In the event that EV chargers and their internet connection to the Electric Vehicles are targetted, additional cybersecurity threats arise, such as:
1. Damage to the vehicle’s data, software, or operating system [4]
2. Vehicles could be immobilized or made inoperable [4]
3. Theft of electricity at the expense of driver accounts [3]
4. Opening a Back door into EV the owners’ home networks and other devices in the home [2]
Implications in the Future:
Not only do EVs have the potential to run on 100% sustainable, renewable energy (depending on how the electric power is produced), it also has the potential to save people big bucks! A UK study by USwitch compared the cost of electricity worldwide and stated that the cost of charging an EV in Canada would be around $277.10 CAD [6][8] per year. With rising gas prices ($1.58/litre today!!), and the Canadian Government offering point-of-sale incentives for EV consumers, it is a growing industry with an upward trend of EV purchases in Canada. In Canada and around the world, we are moving towards becoming dependent on electric modes of transportation. It’s scary to think that it can be hacked, dismantled, or overloaded – especially in times of conflict. As the consumers, by keeping informed on the issues and encouraging research into solutions like asymmetric encryption [11], we can push for higher security standards in our transportation industry.
References:
[1] https://insideevs.com/news/570958/russia-electric-car-chargers-hacked/ [2] https://futurism.com/the-byte/ev-chargers-vulnerable-hacking
[3] https://techcrunch.com/2021/08/03/security-flaws-found-in-popular-ev-chargers/
[6] https://mobilesyrup.com/2020/07/13/average-cost-charging-ev-canada/
[7] https://afdc.energy.gov/vehicles/how-do-all-electric-cars-work
[9] https://evcharging.enelx.com/ca/en/resources/blog/666-how-far-can-electric-cars-go-on-one-charge
Good Post! You make a good point regarding how scary it is that today, even our cars can be remotely hacked, dismantled, or overloaded. I think the scariest cybersecurity threat posed involves breaches where an EV vehicle has an internet connection to one’s home network and other home devices. The idea of connecting your car to a network of automated devices in your home seems like a great and intuitive idea (imagine telling your Alexa device to start warming your car in the morning). However, this innovation comes with large security risks (like those specified above) and the importance of cyber security regarding this new technology should be of utmost importance (at the very least for the sake of preventing hackers from stealing your digital gas).
Nice point on the integration between home devices and an EV! I could definitely see Alexa remote starting your car as a feature that many consumers would like to see in their vehicle. Even today, our phones are connected to our cars via bluetooth or carplay and such. I agree, I hope future innovation comes with thorough security measures to prevent further access to devices for hackers.
This is a very interesting subject that I don’t see brought up a lot when it comes to electric vehicles. It will be interesting to follow how the security features of EVs evolve over time, since we are still in a very early stage and they security does not seem adequate. Your blog post reminded me of another story in which a teenager was able to hack into over 25 teslas around the world (1). In my opinion, the general public will not take these security concerns seriously until someone is able to hack into an EV to do something purposely reckless or dangerous. The manufacturers of EVs need to take these security concerns seriously, but I worry that it will not be good for their profit margin until there is public pressure to do so.
References
(1) https://www.businessinsider.com/teen-security-researcher-describes-how-he-hacked-into-25-teslas-2022-1
Thanks for sharing this story! It’s good to know that there are people out there researching and hacking to report security flaws, and that this teenager went to TeslaMate after finding the issue! This also reminded me of the teen who hacked and tracked Elon Musk’s jet haha – it seems like that person is now tracking Russian Oligarchs!
Great post! EVs are becoming a major competitor in the automotive industry as we are seeing companies like Ford investing heavily in the new technology. Consumers are also buying heavily into the EV industry, as we can see from the popularity of Tesla and how investors are continuously driving up share prices, though there may not be any financial data to support these high stock prices. You do a great job discussing the potential risks of EVs, as companies who own these have the power to do what happened the in the post. The thought that also cars are at risk and not just chargers is worrying and something that EV purchasers should be aware of before they finalize the purchase.
Thank you! You bring up a great point about the trend towards buying EVs. While I was researching for my post, I came across some interesting statistics from a yahoo article.
” The HSB poll conducted by Zogby Analytics found 15 percent of small and medium-size businesses had leased or purchased electric vehicles (EVs) for commercial use.
Three-quarters (76 percent) of those business owners and managers were concerned EV charging stations could be a target for hackers, ransomware, and other cyber-attacks.” (1)
Seems like with the trend to buy, almost everyone is still hesitant to trust it.
(1) https://finance.yahoo.com/news/hsb-cyber-survey-finds-electric-144100406.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNhLw&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAB5oyL1ZaFztjCASBCvJLXgXGxQ0MXlHvhMgmh0LWg7qPZf8T1xs6M3rd4241-TYgNx5_6rin49cLAjydu9jo9UatecCIZMJprxlL16osmGHJ_s0nSY6oXbnbdVGN__GrqcDTiHkXBfZPW6mSSew2bfx-U2fY175znTPrI4jlf8u
This is a very informative blog post. As the car market begins shifting into the EV era where many cars are powered through electricity rather than gasoline it is important that manufacturers implement the proper security measures so like stuff like you mentioned in your post does not occur. This can become very dangerous in the wrong hands. The thought is worrying and the security measures will be a key to determining whether or not to buy an electric vehicle.
Thanks Isaac! I agree, clear resolutions and thorough testing of the technology must take place so that consumers can trust what they are purchasing before making that decision. I think there is a possibility that right now there is a huge boom and people are so psyched about the idea of EVs, so companies do not feel pressured enough economically to fully resolve the issues thoroughly.
Very informative and interesting post. The new age of electric vehicles is exciting as technology advances, but as with any other technology, there will always be a security concern. I never anticipated the hacking of EVs and charging stations. This brings concern for the future of the industry. Furthermore, it shows that any electronic device has the potential to be attacked and used against us. Therefore, I predict the rising importance and value of cybersecurity to mitigate these impending threats.
Totally agree, there is always risks associated with using a new product, and especially a technology product as it is connected to so much of our data/personal information, activities and safety. Absolutely, there are so many ways something as technology-heavy like a car can be compromised, and much to consider when securing the device.
This is very interesting as I have often wondered about and seen promise in the switch to electric vehicles from the traditional gas ones with the potential benefits electric vehicles can provide in terms of cheapness and environmental friendliness. But I have not really read about or seen the potential cybersecurity risks that electric vehicles could have talked about which are quite scary to read about and show just how important cybersecurity is in all parts of the world now. Also interesting to read about electric vehicle charging stations being another tool targeted in cyberwarfare along with the many other examples going on between Russia and Ukraine.
Absolutely, I think consumers will be faced with a whole new set of decisions in the future of car buying. Not just weighing cost, efficiency, and physical features. They will also have to consider the thoroughness of the car and car company’s cyber security, and history of oversights (if any). It’s definitely a new age in transportation, and things are getting more complex than we’ve ever seen before!
Really neat post! Electric vehicles have always and will always fascinate me as a bit of a car nerd due to the prospects electric motors can give but your points presented here are really interesting. With Tesla’s goals of full self driving automation in the (relatively) near future, the possibility for exploits is unfortunately endless. No matter what way you look, there would most likely be some way to make it unsafe, and whilst a network of cars all communicating with one another may remove driver error from the equation, it introduces the idea you spoke about above of the car itself being targeted for malicious purposes. In the future I really do look forward to seeing how Tesla, and eventually other companies address these issues. It will certainly be something to follow.
Great points about Tesla’s full self-driving automation goals! I cannot imagine being comfortable letting my car drive me… but we’ll see how the future of technology pans out! So much has changed in our parent’s lives, especially considering advancements in cell phones, that I can see trust between car tech companies and society being built similarly in our lifetime with due diligence.
This is a really interesting read! I’ve always thought that Electric vehicles were invincible in a way but from the perspective of how charging your vehicle could possibly harm it, there are more dangers to it than we think. In order to prevent these incidents from occurring, we would have to work on implementing stronger security. This is definitely something to look out for in the future.
Agreed! I think many consumers associate more technology with more safety, and therefore trust it wholly. I myself always assume that when a tech company releases a new product, they have taken all possible measures to secure it. However, researching about the EV shortfalls has changed my perspective on that!
Hey, great article. I like how you mention the vulnerability that exists with the increased digitization of everyday life. Clearly, the use of electric vehicles will pose a major risk since many countries are moving towards renewable energies ever since Russian sanctions. I believe this will give rise to a new age of crime where carjacking will be done through a computer rather than physical and could also pose a risk to owners as well. I think this was great information and something to think about going forward
Thanks! That’s such a great point about carjacking, the access points and other holes in cybersecurity may even lead to actual theft of the vehicle, and I can imagine that if they have the ability to steal it, they could hide its location and disable features included for recovery or preventing theft. The insurance industry and law enforcement agencies will be facing many new challenges with the widespread use of EVs.
Hey, great article. I like how you mention the vulnerability that exists with the increased digitization of everyday life. Clearly, the use of electric vehicles will pose a major risk since many countries are moving towards renewable energies ever since Russian sanctions. I believe this will give rise to a new age of crime where carjacking will be done through a computer rather than physical and could also pose a risk to owners as well. I think this was great information and something to think about going forward
Hey, great article. I like how you mention the vulnerability that exists with the increased digitization of everyday life. Clearly, the use of electric vehicles will pose a major risk since many countries are moving towards renewable energies ever since Russian sanctions. I believe this will give rise to a new age of crime where carjacking will be done through a computer rather than physical and could also pose a risk to owners as well. I think this was great information and something to think about going forward
It’s crazy to think that as our world becomes more and more technologically developed that though we may find it better for both our pockets and environment, that we also become increasingly suspectible to cyber-related attacks and intrusions. I hope that we can find a suitable medium that provides a reliable balance of security and convenience. Unfortunately, as you laid out in your article, the shortcomings of modern technology such as being connected and online all the time, makes me feel like though we may physically own the items, we as consumers don’t have much of a grasp on the digital aspect of things as we once thought.
Thank you for sharing, I agree! It is very concerning when we as consumers put so much trust is companies when using their technology, and yet we have very little voice or say in how our information and security is handled.
This is an interesting and informative post. Before reading this post, I didn’t even know EVs and charging stations can be hacked too. If the charging station is hacked, then the electric vehicles will no longer be able to use, which will have a serious impact on the traffic of car owners. If the vehicle’s control system is hacked, many accidents may occur on the road, which also threatens the safety of passengers. While the government promotes the use of electric vehicles, this safety hazard should also be considered.
Thank you! Yes, it’s crazy how integrated something like a charger is to an EV. Our experience with other chargers like for our phones is wildly different, so this is a very new challenge in technology.
The post is really informative and kudos to you that you mentioned such an important vulnerability in our system. With the progress of technology, we see everyday car companies trying their best to shift to electronic vehicles to meet the demands of future generations. But is it safe to use the electronic vehicles when everything can be hacked? The very other day, I was talking to a professor at University of Manitoba regarding this. He presented me with a shocking fact that since the time everything is becoming digitalized, the risks of losing data has risen. The technology is not always a good thing. If we think about third world countries, most of the data are still written and stored in papers, thereby those can not be hacked in any way through digital intrusions. Therefore, is some ways they might be better off with the large number of confidential information not being stolen over internet. Moreover, by reading your post it seems like terrorists might start targeting such vulnerabilities in Electronic vehicles to cause mass destruction in roads causing huge havoc in an economy.
Thank you for sharing – that’s such an interesting fact that the Professor shared. We attribute technology as a positive thing, and the solution to our global problems in many regards. It’s a hope for a better future – but I agree that we are absolutely going to face a whole new plethora of problems while solving others, especially impacting our safety and security online and concerning technological advancements.
Interesting post! This is so crazy, as Technology grows everything is getting crazier day by day. I have come across this article where it said they found vulnerabilities that allowed the account to hijack millions of smart EV chargers. As a result, the — fortunately — white hat hackers were able to remotely override user functionalities and turn charging off and on from a distance. In even more egregious instances, the researchers were able to “back door” their way into EV owners’ entire home networks, allowing them potential access over other devices in the home.
Thank you! I would love to read the article you mentioned. During my research for this article, I came across a few articles that mentioned these events as well!
I heard about that attack on Russian charging stations earlier in the week and I remember thinking that it was pretty funny at the moment. I didn’t think about the different (and honestly scary) implications that came with car charging stations’ ability to be hacked and the danger it could pose on using them. Especially as the rise of electronic vehicles continues into the future. It also reminds me of hacks that came out for the Tesla model 3 which would give you the performance of the “performance boost” that Tesla sold for $2000. Its crazy to think about how you could improve your car by hacking into it but its also just as scary to think about what things someone could do if they hacked into your car. Great article.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimgorzelany/2020/06/11/third-party-software-hacks-can-now-boost-a-tesla-model-3s-performance-by-50-to-150-horsepower/?sh=2dfbe7a755cf
Wow thanks for sharing this article on Tesla’s boosting hack! I think it’s crazy that people have access to making these adjustments to a car when they are not the manufacturer. And that people would actually purchase this when it is not tested and designed with the proper channels and safety considerations. The world is getting bolder!!
Great post! It really makes you wonder about the pitfalls with so much of our daily technology being interconnected. If people can hack into your tesla and use that to backdoor into your network, who’s to say that they also can’t do the same with your smart fridge, or tv, or something even more unsuspected. It is scary to think about at times, and I wonder why it’s not a more prevalent subject of discussion among popular sources.
Thanks! I agree, it’s so interesting how little we talk about how much trust we put into our devices, especially as they get more and more integrated. At some point, one security issue may create a domino effect!
Amazing post! I completely agree it’s terrifying how integrated our lives have gotten with technology and how easily they can be hacked in todays day and age. I think it’s also interesting to think about how the basic skill are taught everywhere, whereas tenish years ago it wasn’t as common of a skill. What used to be physical robbery’s and hostage/ransom situations have translated digitally severely impacting our everyday activities. As our lives get more and more intertwined with technology, it’s scary to think about what could happen if a situation like this would to happen 10 years from now or in a different location such as a hospital where lives depend on being able to have access to electricity. Hopefully we can up our security enough to make sure that these attacks don’t severely impact the vulnerable.
Very true – I love what you brought up about digital theft. I think our society and governments will have to invest more money and greater importance towards cyber protection – such as in the police and investigative agencies. This may become a political platform topic in our future elections!
This is a super interesting topic! With more and more things becoming digitized and interconnected it’s good to be aware of this pitfalls and risks that become present. The ability to DDoS is quite the threat on it’s own, but charging stations being access points to the EV’s system creates much more immediate threats to the owner of the EV. You mentioned that the system could become inoperable when tampered with, but I have to imagine that it would be possible for select safety features to be disabled. Things like the airbags, lane detection, or blind spot detection could cause major damage when disabled if the driver fully trusts their vehicle, and has a bad habit of not properly shoulder checking. That’s not even thinking of the potential risks to come to a fully automated self driving car. It will be interesting to see how malware and antimalware will develop alongside the development of EV’s.
Thank you for your thoughts! I absolutely agree, there is a very real physical safety concern when such a security risk exists with transportation vehicles. As a person who has driven my entire life with blindspot detection and safety features, I can imagine a failure of any of those systems while on the road would be very dangerous.
Very interesting topic that we should certainly keep an eye on in the future! In my opinion the risks are not limited to EVs, even though it is very likely that those will be the majority of cars sold in the future. With Self Driving technology getting better and closer to real-world usage, it is very likely that all cars will have a network of communication on the roads in order to make traffic flow optimally. This communication (and vehicle control software in general) is independent of the type of engine and can pose a lot of security risks (if handled properly still significantly less than human error in traffic though!).
The other problem with charging stations is certainly a big problem. With increased numbers of EVs on the roads the demand for electricity is likely to increase. Especially considering most people will use their cars throughout the day and recharge it over night. Therefore, we will need smarter systems for the distribution of energy to prevent shortages in electricity during peak charging times. If someone was to hack this system and make all cars demand energy at the same time this can lead to massive power outages.
With all new technologies, there is a lot of things to be excited about but also some important things to consider to keep everyone safe. I like that you brought up this topic that might not be on everyone’s mind when thinking about possible security issues in the future!
Interesting read, Charvi!
It seems that with the rising costs of inelastic goods such as gas and the sole fact that oil and gas is limited, it almost becomes a no brainer to transfer over to an EV. Most countries in Europe have already begun to transition to support EVs by incentivizing their citizens through EV subsidies. Moreover, car companies such as Ford have also begun to transition to a fully electric vehicle. So with this increasing supply of EVs, one may wonder what sort of security risks comes associated with that, and your post does a great job explaining one of the many risks. Again, great read!
Thank you! I appreciate your thoughts on government subsidies. In Canada there is a big push for this as well – so I hope along with these subsidies, greater investment is put into the protection of these investments (from a strictly economic point of view).
Great read! I have been very interested in electric vehicles and the energy transition in general. It’s interesting to see how cyber security is important for the future of electric vehicles, which is not too far from now. These cyber threats could cause harm with respect to vehicle safety or the vehicle’s owner personal safety. I haven’t thought about security risk in electric vehicles in this manner until now. I have presented a few projects regarding the energy transition and specifically EVs but I this type of security risk didn’t come into mind so I’ll definitely look into it more. Thanks for the great post!
Thank you! That’s a great point in relation to the energy sector. If we are moving towards more renewable energy types and their applications, the importance of security in technology comes hand in hand with that transition!
Very interesting post! I remember reading about this news a few days back and was amused, to say the least. In recent years, EVs have gained massive popularity due to concerns regarding the environment and public figures like Elon Musk being the face of companies like Tesla. The security aspect of EVs has been a point of concern for a while now. But just like how vulnerabilities in our computer’s OS system are addressed by sending out new security patches, it also seems to be the same with EVs. With every new patch, there comes a new feature or enhanced protection but the fact that these weak points can be exploited so regularly is going to open new forms of cyber threats as now even people’s cars can be accessed and be meddled with. Either way, since we are still transitioning from traditional vehicles to electric vehicles, we will see more of such events happening I suppose. But nonetheless, it will be exciting to see how this plays out!
I believe that EV are definitely becoming more and more of a popular choice due to climate change and the rise of gas prices like you stated in your post but never thought about the cybersecurity risks associated with it! Car companies and the EV charging providers will need to implement stronger and stronger cybersecurity as more and more people realize the power they can get from hacking these things. Especially since cars are becoming more and more reliant on software such as self driving and being connected to peoples phones, etc. there will be more and more vulnerabilities that may be exploited in the future!
Thanks for sharing! I absolutely agree, cyber attacks definitely have more power than most people realize. The production of EV chargers, EVs and related technology may very well outpace the advancement of security measures developed!
Interesting post. Consumers and manufacturers are gonna have a lot to consider now when purchasing an electric vehicle in the future. For example, What stops a hacker from compromising a car while it’s driving? Also, electric cars have been testing self driving technology, another aspect that could potentially be compromised, and result in devastating effects on consumers. Also, what can users do to reduce their risk of exposure? I can’t imagine this being something like a password where the user has the choice to alter the difficulty of the password.
Thanks for your thoughts! I also wonder how security measures in EVs will evolve as they begin to become a more common choice for personal and industrial use. From a company’s perspective, I am also curious how much security will be left within the control of individual users, as opposed to more uniform solutions throughout an entire line of vehicles.
Interesting read. You definitely raised a good point that with technologies become more and more involved in our lives, even our cars can get hacked nowadays! I believe this highlights the importance of taking in minds the risks when dealing with technologies, and also the importance of cyber security. With Tesla mentioned, it’s interesting to think about the risks of hacking as technologies further integrate into our lives – for instance, can self-driving cars get hacked, and what would be the consequences?
Thanks for your comment! Both considering the physical safety of users as they use EVs, and the security of user data and information will be key as EVs become a more dominant choice by users, and become the primary choice for personal transportation across much of North America. As EVs become more accessible, threats to security and safety will also become much more prevalent. I am interested to see where this leads the industry in the coming years.
Thank you for this amazing post. Todays world making promises that they will get rid of the regular cars and will introduce the electric car in the whole world. I know it will help us to improve the nature but what about security of the electric car? we could say the more smart we are using in our life the more our security is threat. If a car can be hacked where else we would be safe?
Thanks for your response! Balancing the environmental benefits of EVs with the societal changes that they bring will be key, especially within the context of user security and safety.
This is a very interesting post. I am surprised that this whole issue going on between Russia and Ukraine has now involved Electronic vehicles. I’ve always been fascinated by them and hope to get a tesla someday. However, learning that electronic vehicles can get hacked like this is not very reassuring. You are definitely right about electronic vehicles being the move in the future since they can save people so much money, but issues like this definitely need to be dealt with before that happens.
Thanks Hassan! It’s crazy that something like Electronic Vehicles have been politicized, and really speaks to how our world has become much more polarized in the past ~10 years. In these political debates, I feel like most often security and user safety is not considered nearly as heavily as the energy and economic side of things. But the interesting thing is, security impacts both of these aspects of society.
Informative post, It is interesting how in the modern era security concerns will only be highlighted further with the increase use of better technology. The cyber attack on charging stations is very dangerous for tesla type cars since it becomes a direct obstacle for our transition from oil/petrol based cars. Moreover I would like to add the better way to improve our security is to constantly test it and make our malware detection better
Awesome Post!
To be honest, I feel like the cyberattacks are going too far. The Russian government messed up, not the citizens. You mentioned there are “vulnerabilities in EV chargers” and that hackers are targeting EV charging stations. As a result of these cyberattacks, hackers can get into an EV owner’s home networks or “damage the vehicle’s data, software, or operating system.” Why are they hacking EV chargers? Lol. I just think it is unnecessary, and at the end of the day it is causing even more harm to the economy.
Interesting post! I thought your concerns on the power grid and how by overloading it, they can create shortages throughout Russia was a new train of thought I hadn’t considered. However I don’t think that by hacking the EV chargers, hackers can gain access to the vehicles themselves, I don’t think there is any data transfer from the EV station itself into the core of the vehicle. My main concern would be access to the BMS (battery monitoring system) of the vehicle would give the opportunity for hackers to overcharge the vehicle, possibly causing the batteries themselves to explode.
Interesting post! I thought your concerns on the power grid and how by overloading it, they can create shortages throughout Russia was a new train of thought I hadn’t considered. However I don’t think that by hacking the EV chargers, hackers can gain access to the vehicles themselves, I don’t think there is any data transfer from the EV station itself into the core of the vehicle. My main concern would be access to the BMS (battery monitoring system) of the vehicle would give the opportunity for hackers to overcharge the vehicle, possibly causing the batteries themselves to explode.
Nice article Chavi,
With all the big automotive companies rushing to push their own EV into the market, it’s very likely that they will glance over some major security flaws in the vehicles software. What do you think should happen if a vehicle is completely compromised due to a attack, should the manufacturer provide a replacement or equal compensation?
Great question! Equal compensation in a scenario like this would be difficult to define and would probably spark a debate. The manufacturer should definitely be held responsible to an extent, and take it as an opportunity to improve their product.
I think a cool little idea to help mitigate the risk of hacking as we inevitably move to an electric vehicle driven future is open source codebases for both the chargers and potentially for the cars themselves. An open source codebase would allow for greater transparency, less risk of purposeful or accidental backdoors into critical systems, and also potentially faster development on the systems which would lead to less debilitating glitches and better user experience. This all sounds great, but would never happen in a real life scenario, as keeping these things secret is standard operating procedure for lots of these companies, though I would like to see some sort of “EV hacking” subgroup show up out of left field with an open source system that blows everything else out of the park.
On a side note, and not to get too political, but its funny how Russia cant even have their EV’s now. The hole only grows deeper. Great post!
This is a very interesting subject you have talked about. Not many people talk about this aspect of an EV vehicle. In my opinion, EV is the future now. It won’t be long when car running on gas would be obsolete. But with these cyber security concerns, the companies need to invest in this aspect. Lets hope that the companies take this incident seriously and try to prevent these kinds of incidents happening in the future.
What an interesting post! Rarely is the security of an electric car mentioned. Automotive companies nowadays are capitalizing on the hype to quickly create electric cars, and as a result, skip out on trying to secure their systems. As the electric car market grows, it’s going to become more important, especially now as cyber threats start targeting electric cars and their charging systems. For widespread adoption of EV’s, it’s definitely important that a single DDoS attack wouldn’t be able to disable all the of the charging systems.
Great post! With the recent rise in environmental concerns comes the increased demand for electric vehicles. This means that security risks as highlighted should be of greater concern. While the case mentioned in this post revolve around the message displays on the EV chargers, this does not mean that other forms of damage cannot be done. As mentioned in the post, an EV’s data, software, and/or operating system could be tampered with. Would that not create a risk to the public, if, let’s say, that an EV’s motion detection is made to no longer work? Or in the future when self-driving cars are made available, and a car was made to not stop for pedestrians? I definitely believe that these risks should be considered going forward. And similarly to how public wifi connections serve as a hotspot for hackers, could there be precautions that individuals can take when it comes to public charging stations?
Electric energy vehicles will be a big trend in the future because of their use of clean energy. This has been evident in the recent oil price environment. A hacker attack on a charging station for an electric car would only result in the car being unable to charge, but the damage to the car’s system would be much more serious. In contrast, traditional cars do not have this kind of trouble.
With the rise of things like tesla the future is electric vehicles and soon diesal and petroleum cars will be obsolete. In comparison the more electronic things get the more suspect they become to cyber attacks, the entire conflict between Russia and Ukraine has shown that cyber warfare is the how war will be in the future.