"Researchers Hack Adaptive Cruise Control, Then Show How to Make It Safer"

A new study from UAB computer scientists reveals that advanced driving assistance systems such as adaptive cruise control, which is now standard equipment in many cars, can be tricked into causing accidents. The work also shows how to keep the cars grounded in reality in order to avoid disaster. The research combines two lines of research related to the vulnerabilities of modern automobiles with advanced driving assistance systems. One focuses on the Controller Area Network (CAN) bus, which is considered the nerve center of electronic communication in most cars. The CAN bus is said to be reliable and inexpensive, and it excels at prioritizing messages while speeding down the interstate at 70 mph. That is why it is the preferred piece of hardware for transmitting data between the dozens of Electronic Control Units (ECUs) in modern automobiles. Airbag deployment, antilock brakes, and engine timing are all covered by these controllers. However, as researchers have repeatedly demonstrated, the CAN bus is not secure against physical or wireless attacks. Another realm of exploration among security researchers is how to protect self-driving cars from sensor attacks. Researchers have used strategically placed stickers on stop signs, lasers, and hacked billboards to fool self-driving cars. Researchers want to delve into the possibility of a deeper attack in which a malicious actor tries to get to the heart of how a self-driving car sees the world. The UAB team's work demonstrated a novel attack that manipulates bus data to take advantage of modern advanced driving assistance systems. They investigated what would happen if a hacked CAN bus was programmed to tell an adaptive cruise control system it was going 30 miles per hour when it was barely moving, or if the adaptive cruise control maneuvered as if it were barely moving when it was actually going 40 miles per hour into a sharp curve. The next step in the research will be to look into other advanced driving assistance systems and attack methods, such as manipulating the reported steering angle to fool lane-keeping assistance technology. This article continues to discuss the UAB researchers' study on the hacking of adaptive cruise control. 

UAB reports "Researchers Hack Adaptive Cruise Control, Then Show How to Make It Safer"