Blackberry working on anti-hacking software with Land Rover and Aston Martin to protect motors from cyber attack
AS two of the major leaders in the luxury car industry, Aston Martin and Jaguar Land Rover are looking to stamp their mark on the cyber security field.
The British owned companies are believed to be working alongside BlackBerry to develop a security service that would remotely scan connected vehicles for computer viruses.
According to Macquarie financial analyst Gus Papageorgiou, the software could prevent a wireless "hi-jacking" by identifying threats and telling drivers to pull over if they were in critical danger.
Papageorgiou claimed the service could be launched as early as next year, generating about $10 (£7.70) a month per vehicle for BlackBerry.
Vehicles increasingly rely on dozens of computers that connect to each other as well as the internet, mobile networks and Bluetooth communications systems that make them vulnerable to remote hacks.
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"Although a connected, more software-centric automobile offers tremendous advantages to consumers, it also opens the doors to hackers," Papageorgiou said.
On Tuesday, experts warned of the impending threat of hackers using cyber "clampware" to immobilise vehicles via the car's on-board computer.
In the wake of the WannaCry cyberattack, Martyn Thomas, IT professor at London's Gresham College, said cyber criminals would target software defects in radios, engine control units (ECUs) and on-board WiFi to disable cars and hold motorists to ransom at the roadside.
Auto security is among several areas that BlackBerry is betting will boost its revenue after the Canadian company lost its dominance of the smartphone market to Apple and others over the past decade.
John Wall, the head of BlackBerry's QNX division, and company spokeswoman Sarah McKinney both declined to comment.
Matthew Clarke, a spokesman for Aston Martin, said in an email he was not aware of the company testing such a product.
Representatives from Jaguar Land Rover could not be reached for comment.
Automaker interest in cyber security has risen dramatically since 2015, when two hacking experts uncovered vulnerabilities in Fiat Chrysler vehicles that led to a U.S. recall of 1.4 million autos.
