We Could Be 3 Years Away From Secured Connected Cars, Automakers Say While companies work out the kinks in self-driving vehicles' algorithms, hackers are still a huge concern.
By Nina Zipkin
Before self-driving cars can make their way to the open road, their safety features have to be pretty unimpeachable.
While these vehicles are still in the testing stage, preventing accidents -- such as a Google driverless car side swiping a bus earlier this week -- isn't the only thing that companies such as Google and Apple have to take into account. They also have to ensure that hackers can't endanger passengers either.
In a recent survey of automakers, suppliers and European drivers said that they anticipate it will take anywhere from one to three years to develop completely secure, connected tech for cars.
Related: The Only Thing Scarier Than Self-Driving Cars Are the Hackers Waiting to Attack Them
The study, commissioned by security company Veracode, also found that of the drivers polled, half reported that they had concerns about data privacy with connected cars, and two thirds said that they would blame the app developers and car manufacturers in the event of a breach.
One of the ways that hackers can gain access to the inner workings of the car -- such as the brakes and steering capability -- is through the vehicle's entertainment systems. Veracode Chief Technology Officer Chris Wysopal told Automotive News Europe, "The more you can separate the systems, the more secure it'll be."
