"Intern Develops Technology to Find EV Charging Vulnerabilities"

Jake Guidry, an Idaho National Laboratory (INL) intern, has developed a cybersecurity research tool to improve the security of Electric Vehicle (EV) charging. The AcCCS tool provides access capabilities through the Combined Charging System (CCS) communications protocol. AcCCS combines hardware and software, emulating the electronic communications that occur between an EV and a charger during the charging process. The tool provides researchers with a new vulnerability search method for EVs and charging stations. The AcCCS hardware has a charging port and cable that can be plugged into real-world equipment. No charging power travels through the device. When AcCCS is plugged into an EV, the vehicle's computer believes the battery is being charged. If plugged into a 350-kilowatt fast charging station, the station thinks it is charging an EV. According to Guidry, it is essentially mimicking one to deceive another. Researchers have already used AcCCS to hack a charging station and a vehicle. Then they demonstrated a mitigation technique against the cyberattacks. Future experiments will help researchers in developing industry best practice recommendations. This article continues to discuss the cybersecurity research tool developed to improve the security of EV charging. 

Idaho National Laboratory reports "Intern Develops Technology to Find EV Charging Vulnerabilities"