While autonomy on the road may seem idealistic in terms of concept, because of the hundreds of connections involved in terms of V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything) communications, Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) may become yet another channel for ill-willed hackers to infiltrate.
Advanced security measures must be taken in order to ensure that all parties involved in the autonomous vehicle ecosystem (both inside and outside) are secure, be it drivers, passengers, pedestrians, infrastructure, or even data.
A team led by Professor Peter Yunker, from the Georgia Institute of Technology, found that the effect of hacking even a small proportion of autonomous vehicles in an urban area can cause major consequences in traffic flow. The simulation mapped out 20% hacked at different times of day and found that at rush hour it could potentially stop traffic in all of Manhattan.