The Department of Transportation and 18 automakers have agreed to “explore and employ ways to work collaboratively” to address cyber threats that could present “unreasonable safety risks.”

“The performance today’s vehicles achieve is due in large part to an increasing amount of computer hardware and software under the hood and behind the dashboard.  And the era of automated vehicle technologies we’re ushering in will add to that,” Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said today in a statement posted on the department’s website.

“We will engage our best cybersecurity minds, share known vulnerabilities and countermeasures, and adopt best practices from within as well as outside of the auto industry,” Mr. Foxx added.

The cybersecurity provisions are part of a larger agreement between DoT and the auto industry to collaborate more closely to address safety issues before they result in injuries or deaths.  The agreement includes plans to expand the membership of the automotive industry’s recently formed Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ISAC) to include suppliers and participants in the connected-car sector.

The automotive ISAC, created last year, will give the industry a forum to exchange information about cyber threats and discuss ways to counter those threats (TRDaily, July 14, 2015). “Being from Michigan, we all know that you can never put too much emphasis on safety,” commented Rep. Fred Upton (R., Mich.), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee today. “Today’s announcement builds upon the safety reforms achieved in the recent highway bill, and is a positive step forward. Working together, America can continue to be a leader in keeping families safe on the road and set the standard for global automobile safety practices.” – Tom Leithauser, tom.leithauser@wolterskluwer.com

Courtesy TRDaily