Smart Cars Sure Do Have Some Dumb Security Standards

Abstract

The vehicles of today are equipped with countless features that previously did not exist, but this also makes them vulnerable in ways that older cars simply are not. Today, we want to explore what this growing smart car trend means for the security of vehicles.

Cars Are Just Not Good at Maintaining Privacy and Security

In a recent survey conducted by Mozilla, out of 25 car brands, none of them ranked well with privacy. How is this possible? Let’s discuss their findings in greater detail.

No Brands Met Minimum Security Standards

Mozilla found that several brands published privacy policies, but they ultimately failed to meet the security standards set forth by Mozilla. For others, however, it was unclear whether or not the brand upheld these standards, but this ambiguity is a far cry from actually succeeding in protecting consumer data.

Vehicles contain a lot of personal information, yet Mozilla found that this data was often left unencrypted. Furthermore, many companies outright denied or ignored requests for more information, which isn’t shady at all, right?

All Companies Collect Too Much Data, and Most Distribute It

All of the brands investigated by Mozilla collected more data than necessary for the vehicle to function. This is wild to consider, and when you think about how much data vehicles might collect, there are boundless opportunities for that data to be exploited. Considering how modern vehicles can connect to smartphones and mobile devices for specific features to work, suddenly that data is a bigger deal.

Additionally, 84% of these car companies share the data they collect, with 76% selling it. Furthermore, 56% of these companies will also share this information with government officials upon request, with or without a court order.

Drivers Are Not In Control Of Their Data

Consumers can usually request that their data be deleted, but in the case of these car companies, 92% do not allow drivers to do so. Only one company in Europe held out, likely due to the General Data Protection Regulation, and likely because they would face a steep fine for failing to do so.

Basically, Cars Don’t Respect Your Privacy (But We Do)

If you are going to purchase new technology for your business, you’ll want to take full advantage of privacy and security solutions to ensure you’re meeting the standards your clients expect. We can help you out with that. To learn more, call us today at 888-748-2525.