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Tesla issued software update after hack - expert comment available
August 2015 by David Rigler, Director for UK Retail and Manufacturing at SQS
“Car manufacturer, Tesla, has been forced to issue a software update for its model S car after two researchers found a way to subvert its on-board system. It was the second time this month that the manufacturer has had to solve security issues highlighted by hackers.
In the latest instance, the researchers were able to shut off the car and force it to stop. Tesla has insisted it has now addressed all six vulnerabilities, but this does mean that the company must continue to work with security experts to protect the systems they have in place. Software is omni-present in our increasingly connected lives and instances like this prove that even those organisations that ensure testing is at the forefront of what they do still have a lot to learn.
One of the biggest challenges automotive companies’ face, in meeting consumer demand for connected vehicles, is that they are fundamentally built on the manufacturing principles developed over the last 100 years. These have so far focussed on the tangible, physical quality of the vehicles; however in-vehicle technology is now the top selling point for 39 percent of car buyers today. It is clear; the old manufacturing quality paradigm just isn’t designed to find problems associated with a future of software-centric vehicles, especially as the cyber security landscape becomes more complex.
Today, automotive manufacturers need to build increasingly sophisticated ‘computers on wheels’. This means they must place software quality and security as a priority to eliminate erroneous errors in the manufacturing process and ultimately ensure brand reputation is maintained.”
