Argus Cyber Security, Check Point Partner to Prevent Car Hacking

Connected cars are becoming more and more commonplace but serious concerns exist about how secure that connection is.

Approximately 45 million connected cars were produced in 2013, and the number could grow to 420 million by 2018. In an article on Wired.com in July 2015, hackers demonstrated how easy it was for them to hack into and completely take over a connected Jeep Cherokee. They were able to remotely control the windshield wipers, seatbelts, radio, climate control system-and the engine, accelerator and brakes.

Related: Three routes of entry for IoT hackers

 Other notable car hacking incidents include an experiment in which Israeli students hacked the GPS map and traffic app Waze, causing it to report a nonexistent traffic jam. In July, the Washington Post reported that an ex-employee hacked connected cars sold by the Texas Auto Center, causing them to honk during the middle of the night and disabling starters.

Is there a way to prevent such attacks from compromising security? Argus Cyber Security and Check Point Software believe so, and have announced a new partnership designed to protected connected and automated vehicles from being hacked. In the Jan. 21 announcement on their website, Argus explained that their Intrusion Detection and Prevention System (IDPS) will be integrated with Check Point’s Capsule secure connectivity solution.

The IDPS system works by scanning all traffic in a vehicle’s network, identifying abnormal transmission, and enables real-time response to threats.

“It’s only a matter of time and resources until someone can hack these systems,” Argus’ VP of Marketing Yoni Heilbronn told Geektime, adding that, “Like every other sector, there is no 100% security. There’s a convergence of the IT and automotive world. In the end, this is a sector that is susceptible to cyber attacks.”

Other sectors are also susceptible to hacking and cyberattacks:

• In January, Check Point Software published a study showing how easy it was for hackers to gain entry into EZCast, an HDMI TV streamer that converts non-connected TVs into smart TVs. The EZCast, used by 5 million users, allowed hackers to access a home network, thereby compromising personal information.
• Princeton researchers recently published a study showing how home IoT devices such as smart speakers and the Belkin WeMo switch send unencrypted information.

 Related: Why IoT device security remains abysmal

Want more? Check out our most-read content:

White Paper: How to ‘Future-Proof’ a Streaming Analytics Platform
Research from Gartner: Real-Time Analytics with the Internet of Things
E-Book: How to Move to a Fast Data Architecture
The Value of Bringing Analytics to the Edge
Three Types of IoT Analytics: Approaches and Use Cases
Fast Data: Why Business and IT Are Now Inseparable
How In-Memory Data Grids Turbocharge Analytics

Liked this article? Share it with your colleagues!