The importance of cybersecurity in the autonomous vehicle setting is well known, but nuance and complexity will be on our LiDAR (a pulsed laser that measures ranges) where the rubber meets the road.
The Challenging, Shifting Landscape
Cybersecurity is one of the key issues of the digital age, typically in the context of security and privacy of confidential or personal data. Cybersecurity is particularly challenging and important for technologies such as self-driving cars, where the real world and the digital, connected world meet and where cyber breaches could result in danger to life and property.
Autonomous vehicles are still in their infancy. Significant uncertainty surrounds this rapidly evolving ecosystem. Standards and regulations are still in a state of flux, and the “rules of the game” are still unclear: how, and how long, will human drivers/operators continue to be involved (along with their proclivity for risky, unpredictable and gullible behavior)? At this relative stage of immaturity, market participants are developing their own divergent solutions that will eventually need to seamlessly integrate, increasing the potential for cyber vulnerabilities. However, the opportunity (for both innovators and society at large) is clear, as smart, interconnected vehicles and systems promise remarkable improvements in efficiency and safety. The race is on.