Government reveals new cyber security standard for self-driving vehicles

A pioneering new cyber security standard has been published by the British Standards Institute.

Working with academics and experts from leading businesses in the car industry including Jaguar Land Rover, Ford and Bentley, as well as the National Cyber Security Centre, and funded by the Department for Transport, the British Standards Institute developed the guidance to set a marker for those developing self-driving car technology.

The UK market for connected and automated vehicles is forecast to be worth up to £52 billion by 2035.

As vehicles get smarter and their connectivity and integration with outside systems increases, so too does the need for vehicle and vehicle systems-related cyber security. This standard has been written to help all parties involved in the vehicle lifecycle and ecosystem understand better how to improve and maintain vehicle security and the security of associated intelligent transport systems (ITS).

Jesse Norman, the Government's Future of Mobility Minister, said: "As vehicles get smarter, major opportunities for the future of mobility increase. But so too do the challenges posed by data theft and hacking.

"This cyber security standard should help to improve the resilience and readiness of the industry, and help keep the UK at the forefront of advancing transport technology."

This follows the government’s publication last year which set out key principles of cyber security for automated vehicles, such as the expectation that systems should be designed to be resilient to attacks and respond appropriately when its defences fail.

Car manufacturers will be able to use the new standard published today to demonstrate that they are following these principles.

You can read our interview with Dr Graeme Smith, CEO at autonomous vehicle software company, Oxbotica, in our January 2019 issue.