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posted by martyb on Tuesday August 29 2017, @01:36AM   Printer-friendly
from the time-will-tell dept.

This interview suggests that GM is really working on security, http://articles.sae.org/15549/

Personally, I'd like to see every automotive engineer and programmer thinking like a black hat, to incorporate that knowledge in all their work, but this is probably impossible in the near term.

Jeff Massimilla, who has been chief product cybersecurity officer at GM since the company initiated his unit in 2014, conceded in a recent interview with Automotive Engineering that although "you never want to go out there and say you have this all figured out," he is convinced that GM—and the broad industry—has learned enough through an intensive few years of research and a variety of collaborations to feel as confident as is reasonable when your world is an ever-changing threat environment.

And here's one you don't hear much from big-company managers in the post-Recession era: "We're very well-resourced and well-funded," he added. "We have the right people and personalities on the board of directors to understand the importance of this." The company's investment in cybersecurity is deep and serious he said, because "you can't separate cyber and safety."

And further down the same interview:

It takes engineers and other trained and experience personnel to research, collaborate resources, share learning, develop standards. Depending on your perspective, an organization of 90 may seem like a lot or a little to be devoted to cybersecurity, but Massimilla said one the auto sector's chief problems is finding those qualified people. Not only are traditional engineering and technical schools only now starting to develop cybersecurity-related curricula and students, "Some of the best cyber experts are not the people who go through college and get a four-year degree," he almost wryly reminds of the computer-expert stereotype that to a meaningful extent is based on reality.

"There's a lot of activity to create more talent," he said. Major universities are beginning to "work (cybersecurity) into engineering programs," but accreditation of those tracks takes time, he lamented—and meanwhile, countless other industries are under the same pressure to find immediate solutions to for[sic] cybersecurity's maddeningly indeterminate threats.


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  • (Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday August 29 2017, @02:47AM (2 children)

    by JoeMerchant (3937) on Tuesday August 29 2017, @02:47AM (#560639)

    You could always retrofit carburetors, or even DIY EFI control (ala MegaSquirt) onto your new 2018 vehicle. Replace the in-dash system, etc. After about $5K worth of mods, you can "own" the intelligence of your new vehicle again.

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  • (Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 29 2017, @03:17AM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 29 2017, @03:17AM (#560650)

    Yes, you could make all these mods, but if you are in a state that requires passing emissions you will be off the road at your next inspection.

    In at least some cases, the OBDII port is used to confirm that the emission control system is working as designed... I suppose your system could be extended to pass phony sensor data to the original OBDII computer so that it would think it was still controlling the engine? Now things are getting pretty complex!

    • (Score: 2) by nobu_the_bard on Tuesday August 29 2017, @02:43PM

      by nobu_the_bard (6373) on Tuesday August 29 2017, @02:43PM (#560828)

      Or you could just find a mechanic you could bribe for an extra $50 to pass you on that point. My roommate used to do that.