In my view, such critical systems need to be designed to “fail safe.” Electromechanical building entry systems need to fail open to avoid trapping people within a burning facility, for example, even though failing open might allow unauthorized persons to enter. There are few, if any, situations in which safety does not trump security.
There is also the issue of rogue software and circuitry being intentionally implanted into vehicle computers and fake circuit boards being installed by unscrupulous repair shops, or introduced through unintended errors. Do you remember the scare about the potential impact of Y2K on embedded systems? I’m not aware that vehicles actually had problems (although they might have), but certainly there were reported problems at manufacturing facilities.
Whereas there is a huge aftermarket for mechanical components, and mostly these products seem to do the job as intended, it is a matter of even greater concern when using third-party electronic devices. If the manufacturers can’t get it right, what might one expect of a third party? There are also some articles on vehicular network security, particularly as it relates to wireless sensor networks, the use of which is rapidly increasing in cars and trucks [1], [2].
One more threat … It has been stated in a number of reports that these increasing sophisticated electronic systems have been forced upon automakers in order to increase miles per gallon and reduce carbon emissions. This may be true in some cases, but it does not necessarily justify problems that such a transition creates. We need to have highly reliable, redundant and resilient electronic systems if they are to replace tried-and-true mechanical and electromechanical systems. Yes, assuring the safety of these devices will increase costs. And those costs, along with the costs of lost lives, pain and suffering of those involved in accidents resulting from manufacturing defects, need to be incorporated into the equation when evaluating the benefits of greener transportation.
References:
[1] C. Tchepnda, H. Moustafa, H. Labiod and G. Bourdon, “Vehicular Networks Security: Attacks, Requirements, Challenges and Current Contributions,” International Journal of Ambient Computing and Intelligence, Vol. 1, Issue 1, 2009
[2] D.C. Kar, H.L. Ngo, and G. Sanapala, “Applied Cryptography for Security and Privacy in Wireless Sensor Networks,” International Journal of Information Security and Privacy, Vol. 3, Issue 3, 2009.
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