Your EV Is Hackable!

The Genesis Climate Change Hub reports that hacking is a new phenomenon coinciding with the growth in ownership of EVs. Last year, in the UK, the Isle of Wight council’s electric vehicle chargers were hacked to show a porn site. Nissan Leaf owners were warned their EVs could be remotely accessed by hackers via their app. A demonstration of this was filmed with the UK-based vehicle hacked by someone in Australia.

Modern cars arguably have more in common with your phone than with a Model T Ford. They can make calls, track traffic, play music and potentially talk to other connected devices and platforms. But, as our modern vehicles and chargers become more connected, they also become more vulnerable to cyber-attacks.

So how worried should you be about the risk of your EV being hacked – and is there anything you should do to protect yourself?

Tom Parker, CTO at ChargeNet, is confidently upgrading from a Leaf to a BYD Atto 3. He has seen white-hat hackers demonstrate how to remotely access a connected car but believes the risk to the individual is small: “What are people likely to do? Why would someone want to hack my car? I don’t believe there are strong motivations for people to hack your car while you’re driving it.” (I don’t necessarily agree. Some hackers hack for the mere hell of it).

Think of the car as a giant Android tablet, with the same vulnerabilities and complexities, he says. It definitely needs regular security updates and he’d like to see more manufacturers providing a long-term plan for software updates.

This is an extract from a NZ Herald article. The full article can be found on https://www.nzherald.co.nz/brand-insight/can-your-electric-car-be-hacked/6IRSZBPIBRHARE45JAENWARS44/