14 DAY TRIAL // The recent cases of car hacking proof of concepts have scared enough automaker execs into creating their own Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ISAC) to help mitigate threats and share smart-car security data.
The creation of the new ISAC is being led by the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and the Association of Global Automakers, two organizations that allow the easy exchange of information between car makers around the world.
ISACs are a common way of organizing companies from the same industry, helping them protect their services from hackers and other security risks with lesser costs and human power. The US actually has a National Council of ISACs.
In a statement for Automotive News, Denise Anderson, chair of the National Council of ISACs and a former vice president of the financial services industry's ISAC had this to say: "Is it dire right now? I wouldn't say so, but now is the time to form the ISAC so the infrastructure and trust is there when they need an ISAC."
She then continued, "You don't want to be caught unprepared. Health care is being heavily targeted right now, but in the past they weren't." Something a KMPG report highlighted just today.
The automotive ISAC will be up and running by the end of the year
The automotive industry's ISAC will work by providing a general hub where automotive infosec data will be centralized, and where details about attacks can be shared between all parties.
The same kind of info-sharing structure is used for the financial services ISAC which, during Mrs. Anderson's tenure, managed to outmaneuver various security attacks in 2012 and 2013.
According to Automotive News, the automakers' ISAC is scheduled to go live by the end of the year.
Members of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers include the following companies: BMW Group, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Jaguar Land Rover, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz USA, Mitsubishi Motors, Porsche Cars North America, Toyota, Volkswagen Group of America, Volvo Car Corporation.
Members of the Association of Global Automakers include the following vehicle manufacturers: Aston Martin, Ferrari, Honda, Hyundai, Isuzu, Kia, Maserati, McLaren, Nissan, Subaru, Suzuki, and Toyota.
Earlier this year, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), through its Automotive Working Group, created a new division for the "exploration and creation of dedicated security standards for technologies used inside Internet-connected cars."