Toyota, Nissan, others to form consortium against cyber attack

Ninety compa nies, including Toyota and Nissan, will form a consortium to protect connected cars from cyber-attacks

In a report published by Nikkei Asia to prevent hijacking and data theft, the companies will check their automotive software for security flaws and share information such as cyber attack trends. As self-driving cars get closer to reality, businesses are stepping up their efforts.

Microsoft Japan, Trend Micro, NTT Communications, and Sompo Japan Insurance, will join a group of carmakers, including Toyota and Nissan, as well as parts manufacturers Denso and Panasonic, in a joint venture.

The engine, motors, and brakes are all electronically controlled in a connected car. The status of their operations is communicated via the internet. If the software that manages the data has a security flaw, the data could be intercepted or the car itself seized by an outside operator.

The report said, every month, thousands of software vulnerabilities are discovered all over the world. Automotive software flaws will be extracted and updated once a week, as part of the partnership. Each company will double-check that the software they use does not contain any security flaws. Members will also be given examples of hacking techniques that have been reported all over the world.

Outsourcing software research, costs companies in the automotive industry 200 million to 300 million yen (USD1.8 million to USD 2.7 million) per year. The alliance will ease the financial burden on small and medium-sized component manufacturers who lack software security specialists. It will also improve the overall reliability of Japanese automobiles.

The UN Economic Commission for Europe has adopted guidelines requiring manufacturers to improve on security this year. In Japan, the transport ministry revised the Road Transport Vehicle Law in January in line with the UN guidelines.