The U.S. Department of Transportation, NHTSA and automakers have agreed to work together for cybersecurity, safety, warning data and proactive recalls. Companies that agreed to the plan are Honda, BMW, FCA, Ford, GM, Hyundai, Jaguar Land Rover, Kia, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Porsche, Tesla, Toyota, VW and Volvo.
“We all know that the performance today’s vehicles achieve is due in large part to an increasing amount of computer hardware and software under the hood and behind the dashboard. And the era of automated vehicle technologies we’re ushering in will add to that. So we have pledged to work collaboratively to mitigate cyber threats that could pose unreasonable safety risks. We will engage our best cybersecurity minds, share known vulnerabilities and countermeasures, and adopt best practices from within as well as outside of the auto industry,” said Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.
They plan to explore and employ ways to work collaboratively in order to mitigate cyber threats that could present unreasonable safety risks.
The group develop suggested best practices for protections effective remediation. They will also develop appropriate means for engaging with cybersecurity researchers as an additional tool for cyber threat identification and remedy.
The partnership will ssupport and evolve the auto industry’s information sharing and analysis center (Auto–ISAC). Companies will promote continued voluntary sharing of cybersecurity threat and vulnerability information through the Auto–ISAC and its members.
They will also enhance the Auto–ISAC to include sharing of common/generic countermeasures used to address common threats and vulnerabilities.
The membership of the Auto–ISAC will be expanded to include members of the automotive supplier community and other participants in the connected vehicle ecosystem.
On Thurdsay, the government agency announced it would develop autonomous driving specifications within in six months.
“Highway safety is a shared and collaborative responsibility and the Principles are a reaffirmation of our combined commitment to Americans traveling on our roadways,” said John Bozzella, president and CEO for Global Automakers. “The industry remains dedicated to producing vehicles with cutting-edge technologies and ensuring that any potential safety issue can be quickly identified and remedied.”
As NHTSA has acknowledged, vehicle defects alone constitute less than 1 percent of fatalities. So while it’s vital to strengthen the recall process and work to reduce the need for recalls, among our best opportunities for material advances in safety is a focus on the 99 percent of fatalities related to human error and other non-defect factors,” said Mitch Bainwol, president and CEO, Auto Alliance.
“FCA US LLC embraces this initiative and, through our ongoing engagement with NHTSA, we are already moving in the direction outlined in the agreed-upon principles,” said Sergio Marcionne Chief Executive Officer, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. “FCA US will continue to engage in a collaborative industry approach which leverages the strength and knowledge of all participants to promote these principles.
Read about the top nominated automotive cyber security companies.
The plan also outlines cooperation for proactive safety, early warning reporting data and safety recall participation.
“It’s a new way of doing business for everybody, and new ways don’t come easily. But that’s what you have to do to when the mission you share –making sure Americans can get safely to and from their destination every time they get in their car– is so important,” concluded Foxx.