Mon | Apr 11, 2016 | 8:43 AM PDT
By Autumn Foster
SecureWorld Media
After the "Great Jeep Hack of 2015," the average consumer likely turned his nose up in the air and swore off connected cars. But the automotive industry is confident it will win over those Nervous Nellys and is moving full-speed ahead to bring us the most technologically advanced vehicles imaginable.
And that means cybersecurity companies are racing to win over automakers and consumers alike with advanced security solutions.
Today, startup Karamba Security entered the race, announcing it's ready to launch its approach to in-car security. The company has created an Electronic Control Units (ECU) endpoint solution it says will protect a car's externally connected components. How? Karamba says its solution idntifies attack attempts and blocks exploits from infiltrating the car's network.
Karamba's product embeds directly on the ECU to ensure only approved code and applications can be loaded and run on the controller. The solution blocks any foreign code, regardless of whether it's entered through the internet, USB drive, or service port. The company claims there are no false alarms.
Karamba's approach appears to be getting attention. The Connected Vehicle Trade Association gives it a big thumbs up.
"Early detection of cyberattack attempts and prevention of malware without false positive risks are essential to immunize cars against malicious software," explained Scott J. McCormick, President of the CVTA. "We are impressed with Karamba Security's unique approach, which can be used to provide early warnings of attack attempts and prevent malware from infiltrating the safety controllers of both new and existing cars."
We'll have to wait and see who wins the race to secure connected vehicles.
