The advancement of technology has brought along with it boundless opportunities and has revolutionized our way of life in many ways, including how we drive our cars. The integration of high-tech features in automobiles has no doubt brought about better convenience, comfort, and safety to driving. However, it has also come with an unprecedented rise in automotive hacking incidences. From remotely hijacking a car to manipulating its features, hackers are increasingly targeting modern vehicles. Despite this, there’s a silver lining as automakers are stepping up to address this issue. This article seeks to delve deeper into the rise of automotive hacking and the ways automakers are responding.

One of the reasons why automotive hacking is on the rise is the implementation of high-tech features such as internet connectivity, wireless communication technology, and smartphones integration, among others. Hackers can take advantage of these features to infiltrate a vehicle’s system and manipulate its features, including stopping the car altogether. The threat of automotive hacking has become so severe that it’s now regarded as a looming danger to motorists.

The auto industry is not taking this threat lightly and is rising to the challenge in more than one ways. One of the ways that automotive manufacturers are responding to cyber threats is by hiring cybersecurity experts to identify vulnerabilities in their systems and provide expert guidance on how to prevent and mitigate cyber-attacks. Automakers are also investing massively in research and development to build technology that is more resilient to hacking attempts.

Additionally, automakers are working with the government, security agencies and cybersecurity firms to develop a set of rules and regulations to ensure that the industry adheres to specific cybersecurity standards. For example, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has issued a guideline to provide voluntary cybersecurity best practices for vehicle manufacturers. The guideline aims to promote secure design, development, and implementation of motor vehicle hardware and software.

Automakers are also creating awareness campaigns aimed at educating vehicle owners on how to keep their cars secure from unauthorized access. With the rise of connected cars, ensuring that owners use secure passwords, public Wi-Fi awareness, and regularly updating their car’s software come in handy to keep hackers out.

Finally, automakers are tapping into the skills of ethical hackers to identify vulnerabilities in their system before malicious hackers can exploit them. These hackers are paid to hack into a vehicle’s system to highlight vulnerabilities and areas requiring improvement. This helps automakers to detect and patch any cybersecurity gaps before they can be exploited by hackers.

The rise of automotive hacking is a growing concern, but with the steps being taken by automakers, it’s becoming increasingly difficult for hackers to infiltrate a vehicle’s system. The auto industry is taking cybersecurity threats very seriously, and while no system is entirely hack-proof, they’re continuously working to make it more resilient. Vehicle owners should also ensure that they follow best practices when it comes to the security of their connected cars. It is undoubtedly remarkable how the auto industry is responding to cybersecurity threats and the great lengths they’re going to ensure the safety of motorists.