"Preparing for the Future of CAVs: Cybersecurity, Winter Weather Research"
Connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) promise to improve transportation operations, but they may also present avenues for malicious actors to undermine vehicle security, according to Rafael Stern, an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota. CAVs open up numerous possibilities for cyberattacks. If a malicious actor is familiar with the software that a CAV uses to make decisions, they can modify the vehicle's driving behavior. In one experiment, researchers demonstrated that a STOP sign could be changed with tape in a way that makes the vehicle read it as 45 MPH. These hacks would be detected and corrected promptly, but more subtle cyberattacks that cause little variations in driving behaviors on any one car, could have far-reaching consequences while remaining practically undetectable. This article continues to discuss the cybersecurity of CAVs.