As the automotive industry adds more software and connections into vehicles, it simultaneously increases the probability of cyberattacks due to vulnerabilities.
Attackers can exploit software vulnerabilities in automotive software to take control of a vehicle and potentially cause serious safety damage by, for example, disabling the brakes.
Right now, the average car has about 100 million lines of software code and 100 electronic control unit (ECUs), both of which provide hackers with a vast attack surface. And those two numbers are expected to expand over the next several years.
One of the most common concerns is the risk of a cyberattack on a vehicle that’s connected to a cloud or mobile platform. That’s why automotive cybersecurity testing is critical to detect the vulnerability of a system’s architecture. It helps to safeguard vehicles from unauthorized access to steering controls or advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) via over-the-air updates, infotainment systems, or mobile apps.
For example, interactive application security testing (IAST) helps automotive organizations identify and manage security risks associated with vulnerabilities discovered in running applications using dynamic testing (often referred to as runtime testing) techniques.
Some IAST solutions integrate software composition analysis (SCA) tools to address known vulnerabilities in open source components and frameworks.
IAST generally takes place during the test/QA stage of the software development life cycle (SDLC). IAST effectively shifts testing left, so problems are caught earlier in the development cycle, reducing remediation costs and delays.
Additionally, many IAST tools can be integrated into continuous integration (CI) and continuous development (CD) tools. The latest generation of IAST tools return results as soon as changed code is recompiled and the running app retested, helping developers identify vulnerabilities even earlier in the development process.
Want to learn more? Tonex offers Automotive Cybersecurity Test and Evaluation (T&E), a 3-day course that allows participants to learn about cybersecurity issues related to the automotive industry.
Also, this course covers introduction to cybersecurity, cybercrime, automotive security, information security, concept of test and evaluation, developmental, operational and interoperability cyber testing, software testing considerations, computer security and incident handling, wireless and server testing, information security testing and assessment, risk management framework (RMF), test and evaluation, and automotive standards for cybersecurity testing.
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