[AMG Power]

Vehicles that have autonomous driver aids (ADAS) or that rely on satellite navigation are set to increase in number. Ensuring that they can’t be overridden or hacked by a third party is just one of the aims of the new UNECE WP.29 Cybersecurity regulation.

Cars are at risk of becoming as popular a target for hackers as mobile phones and desktop computers. Vehicle theft by electronic means is already a well-documented problem, but installing malware in a vehicle’s operating system and demanding payment for its removal is a growing issue.

Meanwhile, the increasing use of over-the-air updates by manufacturers presents its own problems. By strengthening a car’s cybersecurity and boosting manufacturers’ and consumers’ trust in it an array of autonomous and on-board digital services – including more advanced safety systems, vehicle-to-vehicle communication and even automatic payments – will become possible.

To achieve this level of access and convenience, data and cyber protection will need to be in place at every stage of a car’s design and production.

The UNECE WP.29 Cybersecurity regulation has been agreed by the EU and the UN and comes into force across the EU from 1 July. Models that don’t comply with it will no longer be eligible for new registration.

The regulation is concerned with vehicle cybersecurity, and every new car sold in the EU from then on must come with a certificate confirming that it’s protected against 70 vulnerabilities – including cyber attacks – during development, production and post-production.

The difficulty and expense of retrofitting models to satisfy the new regulation means many of them, including the Volkswagen e-Up, as well as the 718 and Macan, have been withdrawn from sale in the EU.

Source: Autocar