This Company Wants Easy, Secure Software Updates for Your Car
Over-the-air (OTA) software updates are commonplace these days; we hardly observe them unless badgered by pop-ups when new software arrives. Just equally cars become computers on wheels, the need for OTA updates is now crucial, particularly with the threat of connected, democratic vehicles existence hacked.
With the exception of Tesla, only a few mainstream automakers offer limited OTA or transmission updates, and they are mostly for infotainment. Mega automotive supplier Continental wants to change this. At an event I attended this week in Federal republic of germany, the company introduced an OTA update platform that could not only keep car software current, but also enhance connectivity and security.
"To enable OTA updates yous, of course, demand the cloud and dorsum end," Bruno Nunes-Silva, a product marketing representative for Continental, told me at the company'due south Tech Days demo. "But you also demand to know the electronic architecture of the vehicle, which nosotros are familiar with since we produce many of the electronic command units [ECUs] within a vehicle.
Car accept multiple ways to connect to the deject—through an onboard cellular modem, a tethered smartphone, Wi-Fi, or satellite communications. These options make modern cars moving targets for hackers, so Continental is working with two new partners to simplify and secure OTA updates and connectivity.
The showtime is Carnegie Technologies, which provides a platform that provides what Continental calls "bandwidth aggregation and gapless handover of calls and information for faster speeds and seamless switching between different networks, such as Wi-Fi, LTE, 3G, and satellite."
The 2d is with satellite communications company Inmarsat to provide OTA updates "anywhere in the world … without the complexity of dealing with multiple mobile network operators...at the push of a button," according to Continental.
Nunes-Silva said the Carnegie Technologies platform automatically provides the all-time connectivity by switching between different data pipes and likewise slices and dices the bandwidth. "For example, the data packages are split betwixt mobile networks, Wi-Fi, and satellite for the most efficient bandwidth and the software puts it together again," he added.
Only fifty-fifty if data gets to a car with the to the lowest degree amount of friction, it's essential that it's likewise secure. "Nosotros have a big squad working on both hardware and software security solutions," Nunes-Silva noted. "We can also improve security during the unabridged development process of the ECUs since we include cybersecurity right from the outset."
Security measures Nunes-Silva mentioned include using intrusion detection at the point at which data enters the vehicle, encrypted messages between ECUs, and even antivirus software inside the vehicle. "Nosotros will besides try to hack our own systems to larn where hackers can find weak points," he said.
In add-on to refreshing a car's software and firmware, providing new features, and increasing security, OTA updates can also save time and money for automakers and vehicle owners in the case of recalls. "There are lots of recalls, and the reason for this is often software," Nunes-Silva said.
"Automakers have a loftier cost to recall and repair vehicles," he added. "Simply with OTA updates they can save money, and for the automobile owner information technology's also much more convenient since they don't even have to bulldoze to the dealership for a think repair."
When Continental'south OTA software update organisation comes online in a few years, a car's software will no longer be frozen in time. "Usually if you lot buy a vehicle, it stays the same for x or xv years," says Nunes-Silva. "Now you'll exist able to update your vehicle over its lifecycle."
And information technology will exist updatable like many of your other electronics. Let'due south just promise, as with a Windows update, it doesn't always happen when you're a hurry.
About Doug Newcomb
Source: https://sea.pcmag.com/news/16261/this-company-wants-easy-secure-software-updates-for-your-car
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