Most vehicles today offer some form of convenient electronic connectivity. However, such features create an expanded attack surface for hackers. The vulnerabilities are mostly due to insecure communication channels. For example, radio frequency signals from keyless car fob transmitters can be intercepted and cloned for cyber-attack.

UWF’s Guillermo Francia is part of the Transatlantic Working Group on IoT/CPS Cybersecurity Research. Their connected-vehicle security research highlights the need for better encryption/authentication methods to keep sensitive data secure and ensure that unauthorized access to these systems does not put drivers at risk.

• Guillermo Francia III