Symantec Introduces IoT Security Solution for Connected Cars

Cybersecurity solution provider Symantec, known for their anti-malware applications for computers and mobile devices, has announced the launch of a new security solution designed to protect connected cars.

According to the June 8 announcement, the new platform, called Anomaly Detection for Automotive, offers protection against security issues facing connected cars, including “zero day” attacks in which hackers can exploit software loopholes before security patches are released.

According to research by Gartner, by 2020 there will be an estimated 220 million connected cars on the road. That opens a whole new avenue for potential hacking and cyber attacks.

  “As connected automobiles become the norm, security issues have already drawn attention,” said Christian Christiansen, IDC VP of security products, in the announcement. “Manufacturers and their suppliers will partner with cybersecurity vendors on securing connected cars as they would with any other networked endpoints such as mobile devices and laptops. Keeping security top of mind will not only help ensure the safety of drivers and passengers, but also build trust in the car manufacturers and the overall IoT ecosystem.”

Anomaly Detection for Automotive works with almost every make and model of vehicle and uses machines learning and in-vehicle analytics to monitor all CAN bus traffic without any effect on the operation of the vehicle, according to Symantec. The solution learns what is considered normal behavior and flags activity that does not fit those parameters.

Key features include:

• The ability to learn vehicle behavior and extract insights that allow previously undetected attacks to be flagged.
• Prioritization of incidents based on risk and perceived severity.
• Automatic detection of anomalies without the need to set rules or create policies.
• Uses little memory or CPU power.

The company stated they are currently securing over 1 billion IoT devices. Anomaly Detection for Automotive is now available worldwide for most makes and models.