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Connected cars face security and privacy hurdles
Steve Rogerson reports on an automotive roundtable organised by NXP Semiconductors at The Crystal in London's Docklands
Security and privacy issues need to be tackled now if the vision of connected cars and integrated transport systems is going to be a reality. That was the overall view of speakers at the recent automotive roundtable organised by NXP Semiconductors at The Crystal in London's Docklands.
"If you want to connect your car to the
internet, you have to make sure that is a secure connection," said Lars Reger, NXP's vice president for research and
development. "You have to make sure only the right people can get hold of information and influence it. We must not compromise the complete system by allowing access to information." Bart Jacobs, professor of computer security at Radboud University Nijmegen in the Netherlands, said there should be different levels of security depending on what the data were for and where they were being sent. "When you are connected to all the
other cars, you need much more security than if you are, say, sending data back to the car manufacturer," he said. For example, messages such as an ambulance approaching or road works ahead can be sent in plain text, but even here Reger said the identity of the sender would need authorising to stop false messages going onto the system. On privacy, Reger said drivers should only be connected to content they choose and others should not have access to information about their driving and location without their permission. He said he knew that insurance companies would be putting pressure to get hold of this information but this should not be done without the driver's consent. "You are owner of your data and only you can trade them in," he said. Ferry Smith, director of public affairs at ANWB, the Royal Dutch touring club, agreed that people would give away privacy in exchange for some benefits, such as cheaper insurance premiums, but stressed: "You need to secure people's rights on what happens to their data." Steve Nevey, a consultant with F1 in Schools, added: "As a driver, you may say you want to reduce your insurance premiums and so you will be willing to modify your driving and allow it to be monitored."
Reger said it also needed to be possible for the drivers to erase all their data from the car when, for example, they were selling it.
The other issue is that cars will need to
be upgraded after they have been sold. "Cars are in place for 15 years and you cannot have the same software in place for that time," said Reger. "You need to be able to upgrade and patch the software, and that needs to be secure as well." Hardware updates may also be needed and some software and hardware may have to be done by dealers. This means allowing them access to data on the car, and that brings other security questions. But which dealers will be given the access?
"If a manufacturer designs a vehicle on which only its network of dealers can access the information, then there will be a whole range of dealers that will be out of work," said Smith. Reger said on hardware the chip makers were doing a lot to make sure they could not be hacked. "There is a lot of work to hide which part of the chip is doing what," he said. "You have to make sure your ecosystem is always a step ahead of the hackers."
Dialog Semiconductor and Energous work together to develop market for wire-free charging technology
Dialog Semiconductor, a company that develops highly integrated power management, AC/DC, solid-state lighting and Bluetooth Smart wireless technology, has agreed to set up a joint collaboration with Energous Corporation, the company behind WattUp, a disruptive wire-free charging technology for electronic devices that provides power at a distance with complete mobility under full software control. Dialog and Energous said that they will develop reference designs and further evaluate the market for wire-free power.
"Dialog is a key semiconductor supplier in the IoT and wearable market." said Sean McGrath, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Connectivity, Automotive & Industrial Business Group at Dialog Semiconductor. "By bringing together our existing lowest power, smallest footprint Bluetooth Smart IC with its energy harvesting support and
6 July/August 2014
Energous' over the air wireless charging technology in a proof-of-concept reference design, both companies are looking to demonstrate the ability to charge wearable
Components in Electronics
CE devices without the need for power connectors or charging mats." "Our collaboration with Dialog Semiconductor will provide consumer
electronics manufacturers with a technology that will differentiate their products with the freedom of charging without wires," said Stephen R. Rizzone, CEO of Energous Corporation. "By optimising WattUp with Dialog's SmartBond connectivity and power management technology, OEMs will be able to rapidly and seamlessly integrate wire-free charging and remote management right into their devices." WattUp is a revolutionary, patent and trademark-pending solution that delivers intelligent, scalable power via the same radio bands as a Wi-Fi router. WattUp differs from current wireless charging systems in that it delivers meaningful, useable power, at a distance, while allowing users to roam while charging. The result is a true wire-free experience that saves users from having to remember to plug in their devices or place them on a mat.
www.cieonline.co.uk
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