Impact of

Technology
Autonomous Vehicles
AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES (AVS)

• An autonomous vehicle, or a driverless vehicle, is one that is able

to operate itself and perform necessary functions without any
human intervention, through ability to sense its surroundings.
• An autonomous vehicle utilizes a fully automated driving system
in order to allow the vehicle to respond to external conditions that
a human driver would manage.
HISTORY OF AUTONOMOUS CARS

• In GM’s 1939 exhibit, Norman Bel Geddes created the first self-
driving car, which was an electric vehicle guided by radio-
controlled electromagnetic fields generated with magnetized metal
spikes embedded in the roadway.
• By 1958, General Motors had made this concept a reality. The
car’s front end was embedded with sensors called pick-up coils
that could detect the current flowing through a wire embedded in
the road. The current could be manipulated to tell the vehicle to
move the steering wheel left or right.
• In 1977, the Japanese improved upon this idea, using a camera
system that relayed data to a computer to process images of the
road. However, this vehicle could only travel at speeds below 20
mph. Improvement came from the Germans a decade later in the
form of the VaMoRs, a vehicle outfitted with cameras that could
drive itself safely at 56 mph. As technology improved, so did self-
driving vehicles’ ability to detect and react to their environment.
 THE SOCIETY OF AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERS
(SAE) CURRENTLY DEFINES 
6 LEVELS OF DRIVING AUTOMATION RANGING
FROM LEVEL 0 (FULLY MANUAL) TO LEVEL 5
(FULLY AUTONOMOUS). THESE LEVELS HAVE
BEEN ADOPTED BY THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF
TRANSPORTATION. 
• At level 0, the car has no control over its operation
and the human driver does all of the driving.
• At level 1, the vehicle’s ADAS (advanced driver
assistance system) has the ability to support the
driver with either steering or accelerating and
braking.
• At level 2, the ADAS can oversee steering and accelerating and
braking in some conditions, although the human driver is required
to continue paying complete attention to the driving environment
throughout the journey, while also performing the remainder of
the necessary tasks.
• At level 3, the ADS (advanced driving system) can perform all
parts of the driving task in some conditions, but the human driver
is required to be able to regain control when requested to do so by
the ADS. In the remaining conditions, the human driver executes
the necessary tasks.
• At level 4, the vehicle’s ADS is able to perform all driving tasks
independently in certain conditions in which human attention is
not required.
• Finally, level 5 involves full automation whereby the vehicle’s
ADS is able to perform all tasks in all conditions, and no driving
assistance is required from the human driver. This full automation
will be enabled by the application of 5G technology, which will
allow vehicles to communicate not just with one another, but also
with traffic lights, signage and even the roads themselves.
 6 SECURITY RISKS THAT
THREATEN AUTONOMOUS
AND CONNECTED VEHICLES
1. ATTACKS ON SMART REMOTE KEYS

• Passcodes and remote keys are based on Infrared

Radiation (IR) and Bluetooth technologies. Hackers can
crack IR communication easily with a brute force attack
and manipulate Bluetooth connectivity to leak private
information.
2. ATTACKS ON CLOUD-BASED NETWORKS

• Self-driving vehicles process large volumes of data that

are stored in the cloud. Sending and receiving data from
the cloud is a security vulnerability because attackers can
compromise data centers. Threat actors exploit data
center breaches to access sensitive information such as
vehicle safety features. 
3. MALWARE ATTACKS—SOFTWARE
SECURITY

• Software security is an important factor in vehicle safety.

Automotive manufacturers are facing the same security challenges
as any other software organization. The most common factors that
render software security are the pressure to meet deadlines, coding
errors, lack of education on secure coding practices, and lack of
vulnerability testing in production.
4. SENSORS

• Autonomous vehicles are equipped with a range of

sensors that help them navigate roads, detect other
vehicles on the road, stop for pedestrians, and handle any
unexpected dangers. Each type of sensor has its own
strengths and weaknesses in terms of range, detection
capabilities, and reliability.
5. NETWORK ATTACKS

• A network attack is a method used to maliciously compromise

network security. Every endpoint in the network is a part of the
network attack surface. Hackers deploy malware and advanced
persistent threats (APTs) on endpoints, for the purpose of gaining
access to a network. Usually a network is exploited through
remote access Wi-Fi and even local area networks (LANs).
6. APT ATTACKS
• Engine Control Unit (ECU)
• ECU is an electronic control module for sensors and actuators in a vehicle. A
typical vehicle consists of more than 100 ECUs. The proprietary code inside
the ECU makes it safe and secure. 
• OBD Port-based attack
• Onboard diagnostics (OBD) and OBD port are present in almost all
manufactured vehicles since 2008. OBD ports collect diagnostic data of
vehicles. This data contains information about vehicle faults and
performance. 
CONCLUSION
• Autonomous car security vulnerabilities are far more dangerous than
malicious emails or even stolen credit card numbers. Malicious code exploits
can cause real physical harm to a driverless car passenger. Rogue nations and
terrorists looking to cause chaos and damage to infrastructure can also
exploit these vulnerabilities.
• It may take a long time for the automotive industry to ensure maximum
security in autonomous vehicles. There is no doubt that hackers will attempt
to breach self-driving cars, but today’s cybersecurity professionals have more
powerful tactics to defend against them.
THANK YOU