Understanding the Cyber Threat to Connected and Autonomous Vehicles

As vehicles evolve they are becoming increasingly connected and automated. Vehicles with internet connectivity and self-driving capabilities are already on the market. To enable these technologies to develop the travelling public need to know they are safe. Recently publicised incidents, such as the Fiat-Chrysler hack, have shown that the information technology or information communications systems of vehicles can be used to interfere with critical vehicle control systems. There is a need to understand what vulnerabilities exist or may exist, to current and future connected and autonomous vehicles and what efforts have been undertaken to mitigate or propose mitigations. In this respect the DfT invites bids to provide: • A comprehensive review of open source and other literature on the vulnerabilities and mitigations of connected and autonomous vehicles to cyber-attacks and what conclusions can be drawn from the literature. • A summary of the findings. The aims and objectives of the work are to: • Inform DfT and CCAV of the state of evidence in this area, highlighting any particular weaknesses or gaps in the literature • Provide knowledge of recent and ongoing research and mitigation efforts in this area, including international activities • Inform the scope of subsequent research projects by the Authority in this area and ensure that they are non-duplicative and optimally targeted