How Does The Rise Of Tesla Impact Cyber Security?

As Tesla becomes the most valuable automaker, surpassing both Ford and General Motors, DarkMatter's executive vice president of cyber services, Eddie Schwartz, examines the implications for cyber security

In early April 2017, the valuation of electronic and autonomous driving automaker Tesla exceeded that of Ford and GM respectively for the first time.

The metaphors and messages around this shifting paradigm are numerous and far-reaching. For Dark Matter as a cyber security specialist, the most pertinent aspect of this progress is what it signifies for the state of cyber security around these highly complex, real-time, and rapidly expanding digital systems.

Late last year, the UAE’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) announced the testing of a smart autonomous vehicle in Dubai, which has the capability to travel for up to eight hours before requiring a recharge. The trial forms part of RTA’s plan to test autonomous vehicle operations in the smart city’s climate and is in line with Dubai government’s target to have 25 per cent of all journeys by driverless transport by 2030.

This rapid technological advancement involves the processing of zetta bytes of digital calculations and output, which need to be organised and actioned in real-time. Similar in many ways to the airline industry, the margin for error in this new operating environment has been reduced to near zero, and thus the necessity to secure and maintain the system’s integrity is at an all time high.

Staying abreast, and ideally ahead, of the cyber threat landscape in the face of the rapid pace of digitisation is one of the greatest challenges today. New threats and vulnerabilities emerge on a daily basis, and, like many sectors, the auto industry has been relatively slow to develop the necessary security mechanisms for greater resilience and response.