Technology
The White House has released an official “fact sheet” to inform us all about the threat connected cars pose to US national security.
Release date: September 26, 2024
The U.S. government plans to ban Chinese companies developing connected car technology as a response to what it believes to be a potential threat to national security.
The proposed rules, which will be further vetted before becoming law, would “prohibit the import and sale of vehicles equipped with certain VCS or ADS hardware or software with ties to China or Russia.”
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Vault Connectivity Software (VCS) includes telematics control units, Bluetooth, cellular, satellite, and Wi-Fi modules. Autonomous Driving System (ADS) components are intended to enable the transition to autonomous vehicles. These components “enable geographical and critical infrastructure information retrieval.”
A “fact sheet” issued by the White House, titled (very diplomatically) “Protecting America from Connected Car Technologies of Concern,” states that “Chinese automakers are seeking to dominate connected car technology.”
The fact sheet further notes that both China and Russia pose “particularly serious threats.”The proposed remedy would restrict software and hardware from coming from China and Russia from 2027 and 2030, respectively.
Yes, these systems do provide an opportunity for bad actors to take over a car, but the key point about internet security is that if they are clever enough, they can take over a car and carry out their malicious intent without necessarily creating or owning the components.
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As many white hat hackers will attest, suppliers from non-threat countries all too often inadvertently leave vulnerabilities in software that can be exploited by bad actors. So is the U.S. being a bit overzealous? Probably not.
The US-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) has been tracking significant cyber incidents globally since 2006. Of the 34 incidents recorded since January 2024, Chinese hackers were identified in six cases and Russian hackers in 13, while the suspects in eight cases remain unknown. A further five are from five other countries.
To be clear, these incidents are not cyberattacks aimed solely at the United States, but it is clear that Russian and Chinese malicious actors are behind the attacks on the web. Of the 34 incidents, only two involved American suspects. “It is not difficult to imagine how foreign adversaries with access to this information could pose serious risks to both our national security and the privacy of American people. To address these national security concerns, the Department of Commerce is taking targeted, aggressive steps to keep Chinese and Russian technology off American roads,” Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said in a statement.
Unsurprisingly, government officials in Beijing were not pleased with the news. In a statement, a spokesman for China’s Ministry of Commerce said, “The US actions have no factual basis, violate the principles of market economy and fair competition, and are a typical example of protectionist behavior.”
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“China urges the United States to stop the wrong practice of generalizing national security, immediately withdraw relevant restrictions, and stop unjustified suppression of Chinese companies.”
“China will take necessary measures to resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises,” it added.
Meanwhile, BYD UK president Michael Xu recently addressed concerns about the use and tracking of Europeans’ personal information. Xu reassured customers that their data never leaves Europe, pointing to companies outside of China that the software is linked to, saying they are offering cloud-connected services without breaching stricter European privacy regulations.
