Autonomous trucks are an especially attractive target for hackers, cargo thieves and cyber criminals, experts say.<\/p>\n
From Trucks.com:<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cIf you move to autonomous navigation systems or even just the usual driver-controlled navigation systems, they\u2019re all vulnerable to attack,\u201d says Jeffrey Carr, a consultant and founder of the Suits and Spooks cybersecurity conference series.<\/p>\n Once a truck target has been identified, a hacker can identify which GPS satellites are used to guide its navigation. This can be hijacked by creating his own transmitter and codes to mimic the ones sent by that satellite, then gradually increasing the frequency of the signals from that transmitter.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can fool the receiver in the vehicle to lock onto the fake codes instead of the authentic GPS codes and reprogram the mapping coordinates for where the vehicle is headed,\u201d Carr said.<\/p>\n Part of what makes trucks more vulnerable to cyber attacks than cars is that they all use the same protocol, said Monique Lance, with Argus Cyber Security, based in Tel Aviv, Israel.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a common communications standard in trucks called J 1939 that makes it possible to craft one attack that fits all,\u201d Lance said. \u201cAn attack that accesses one truck will potentially access most trucks.\u201d<\/p>\n Argus advocates a three-pronged approach that begins with prevention \u2014 by designing cybersecurity into trucks from the concept stage. Transportation companies need to be proactive rather than reactive, she said. But if a hack does occur, the system needs to be able to understand it\u2019s been compromised and respond as quickly as possible.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause trucks are depended upon to transport goods and services, if you hold a fleet of trucks for ransom, you\u2019re more inclined to get a quick payment because those organizations can\u2019t afford to have their trucks stalled for a day or two,\u201d Lance said. \u201cThe costs of not getting those goods delivered is very high.\u201d<\/p>\n The most likely forms of cyber attack on trucking are stealing freight or holding it for ransom, but terrorism is also a possibility.<\/p>\n \u201cNobody\u2019s interested in one car unless it\u2019s carrying an executive or an official, but a truck? We already know trucks have become a preferred method of delivering attacks,\u201d Carr said.<\/p>\n Once trucks are automated, even more harm could be done, Carr said.<\/p>\n \u201cCybersecurity is definitely an issue to be developed and implemented as quickly as possible,\u201d said Jeremy Carlson, an analyst at IHS Markit.<\/p>\n Carlson points to the infamous hack from July 2015 when white-hat hackers Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek took remote control of a 2014 Jeep Cherokee\u2019s digital systems over the Internet while a reporter from Wired magazine was driving. That hack resulted in Jeep recalling 1.4 million vehicles at a cost of about $140 million, Carlson said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt certainly represents a better financial investment to do something before the fact rather than as a reaction,\u201d Carlson said.<\/p>\n