In its succinctly titled, ‘Disruptive Technologies, Consolidation and Cybersecurity: 2018 Trends in the Connected World ‘ Irdeto, a specialist in digital platform security, has taken a look at what it thinks will be the hottest trends in connected transport and IoT security next year.
The report warns that as cyberattacks evolve over the course of 2018 an effective defence strategy will be a key requirement for organisations. That’s not going to be easy to deliver though due to the impact of a cybersecurity skills shortage, the need for security ownership in IoT and the impact of new legislation may have.
According to Irdeto’s CEO, Doug Lowther,“With the increasing number of connections both in and out of the home, organisations must ensure that they protect themselves and their customers from the growing cybercrime threat.”
Sounds alarming but it is likely we’ll see areas of attack move beyond computing platforms and networks to include: gaming platforms, buildings, vehicles, transportation infrastructure and consumer connected devices.
Lowther identifies a number of challenges for 2018 including the threat from increased connectivity and complexity in modern vehicles resulting in new risks and threats to personal safety, security and privacy – in fact, according to Lowther, the biggest threat to connected cars in 2018 will be theft.
He warns that, “We’ll see the use of key fob signal amplifiers, to allow thieves to access vehicles. As the mobile attack surface increases next year, we’ll also see thieves migrate to attacks on improperly secured mobile keys, which can also be used to track a vehicle. Weaknesses in mobile car apps could also expose the automotive sector to tailored malware attacks which are designed to locate and steal vehicles from specific automotive brands or fleets.”
The report goes on to warn that when it comes to IoT, we will see ransomware attacks that will threaten brand damage.
In response to increased connectivity, however, it is likely that companies will start to look at taking on an offensive security strategy, including sharing information, deploying deception technology and working with law enforcement to track hackers.
In terms of legislation it’s likely that we’ll see more standards and expanded frameworks around autonomous driving, but also cybersecurity may develop into being considered as an insurance included in a service rather than a promise that a vehicle is secure.
The report also warns about the security challenges from manufacturers or providers not taking ownership of the issue due in no small part because of the lack of skills and expertise and, as a result, companies will turn to Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to plug the skills gap through autonomous security technologies.
Next year will certainly be challenging on the security front. The threats have been identified; but the issue will be whether companies and institutions are able to respond to them.
