Intelligent CIO Middle East Issue 13 | Page 37

FEATURE : IOT SECURITY
ADDITIONALLY , A GROWING PROBLEM WITH MANY IOT DEVICES IS THAT THEY USE COMMON COMMUNICATIONS PROGRAMS THAT HAVE NO SECURITY BUILT INTO THEM AT ALL . AS A DIRECT RESULT , AN ALARMING NUMBER OF IOT DEVICES TO DATE HAVE BEEN HIGHLY INSECURE . WE NEED TO ACHIEVE BETTER FOR AUTONOMOUS CARS THAN WHAT IS THE CURRENT IOT BENCHMARK TODAY

2External communications . Many , if not all onboard systems will have reasons to communicate to Internet-based services : for manufacturer maintenance , for software updates , for passenger Internet access , for travel and driving instructions , for service requests , to purchase items or services , or to backup data . External communications will very likely be both “ push ” and “ pull ” – they may be initiated either from inside the vehicle , or to the vehicle from a manufacturer or the Internet . This also means that traffic to and from the vehicle will need to be inspected and managed for threats and illicit , defective , or unauthorized communications using firewalls and IPS-like capabilities .

3Next , the connectivity infrastructure used by a vehicle will likely be based on well-established cellular networks , such as 3G and 4G data services , but with a twist . While these cellular services already provide connectivity to billions of smart phones and other devices around the world today , they also suffer from inconsistent security . Smart , driver-assisted , or even driverless vehicles will raise the stakes significantly . A directed attack on or through the cellular network could trigger significant , safety-critical failures on literally thousands of moving vehicles at the same time . Securing cellular networks providing critical vehicle connectivity will require a through review in light of such potential catastrophe .

Finally , high-assurance identity and access control

4 systems suitable and designed for machines , not people , will need to be incorporated such that : cars can authenticate incoming connections to critical systems , and internet-based services can positively and irrefutably authenticate cars and the information they log to the cloud , or transaction requests they may perform on behalf of owners – such as service requests or transactions to buy fuel or pay tolls .

ALAIN PENEL
Regional Vice President , Middle East , Fortinet . www . intelligentcio . com INTELLIGENTCIO
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