Automotive cybersecurity shifting into overdrive
August 4, 2020
RESEARCH REPORT
In brief
In brief
- A select few automotive companies, 18%, are more cyber resilient without spending more money on cybersecurity.
- They invest differently than their peers, focusing on advanced technologies to protect a more distributed business environment.
- A key to success is adopting an adaptive security approach, based on zero trust and constant verification.
- Adaptive security is especially timely due to more remote workers and the larger ecosystems related to the connected car.
Better cybersecurity without spending more?
Why is it that some automotive companies perform better on cybersecurity metrics than others, while not spending more money? New Accenture research shows that for the Leaders—just 18% of automotive companies—it’s because they’re investing differently than their peers. Leaders are putting money into advanced technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Next-Generation Firewalls (NGF) to update cybersecurity to fit their changing business needs.
Leaders show significant advantage
Leaders aren’t just slightly better at cybersecurity. They show significantly more cyber resilience than other companies.
Changing cybersecurity for a changing automotive industry
Two major shifts in the automotive industry make cyber resilience more essential than ever.
#1 More remote workers
From securing personal devices to protecting collaboration technology, automotive companies will need to enhance existing security to close gaps.
#2 Connected cars
Connected car security is vital because it can mean life or death. It’s essential for the physical safety of passengers and other drivers.
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Creating a cyber fortress with adaptive security
Protecting a distributed workforce is easier with adaptive security, something many automotive companies don’t yet have throughout their operations. Powered by analytics and automation, adaptive security works by constant verification against opportunistic and targeted attacks, as well as trusted insiders and other insider threats.
Adaptive security also helps protect entry points throughout an automotive company’s ecosystem, an ecosystem that grows larger each day because of connected car initiatives.
Looking ahead
Now more than ever, as auto companies move from vehicle manufacturing specialists to technology ecosystem specialists, their cybersecurity needs become far more complex and critical. As your teams develop new strategies and approaches to suit new business needs, here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Reassess cybersecurity using an end-to-end approach. New regulations are a bellwether for things to come, holding automotive companies responsible for secure management of areas like data at rest and data in transit. Cybersecurity in an intelligent vehicle has become a matter of life or death.
- Look beyond traditional boundaries. Auto companies will more and more have to take cybersecurity standards and enforcement across the ecosystem and their own distributed operations into their hands to protect their own interests.
- Take a proactive stance with regulators and shared industry intelligence. Regulators need input from automotive companies to create standards that protect consumers but are also realistic for manufacturers.
The innovation needed to leapfrog the auto industry to the next level brings some potential risks in the cyber realm. Automotive companies that move now to anticipate and address those risks set themselves up to move into their future more rapidly—and more safely.
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