"Your Car May Be Vulnerable to Cyberattacks – Even the Smartest of Smart Cars Have Issues"
While smart cars offer unique benefits, they also introduce significant security risks that have the potential to lead to loss of life. As vehicles increase in connectivity to the internet, they become more vulnerable to being hacked, manipulated, and disabled. The presence of vulnerabilities in connected vehicles creates more opportunities for cybercrime. A study conducted by researchers at Michigan State University explores automotive cybersecurity through the lenses of criminal justice theory and social sciences as such aspects are often under-examined. The study calls for automotive and equipment manufacturers to be active guardians in the cybersecurity of smart cars by constantly applying system patching updates, writing new code, and more. Automotive manufacturers need to be as active as smartphone manufacturers in the release of security updates to connected vehicles. This article continues to discuss key findings of the study and suggestions on how to improve automotive cybersecurity.