Autonomous vehicles, both off-highway and passenger cars, rely on software and onboard computers to operate, which makes them vulnerable to software-related security flaws and input attacks. Their complex networks of internet-connected software systems are intertwined with the hardware systems of the vehicles, making autonomous vehicles susceptible to cyber threats, the consequences of which can be potentially extremely dangerous to both operators and personnel in their working environment.
Off-highway vehicles are produced in smaller numbers and operate with far fewer other vehicles around them, but the threats that are posed by potential cybersecurity attacks are no less dangerous than those affecting road vehicles. Connected interfaces are a potential path of attack for denial of service attempts, remote hacking or malware injection via connected interfaces. These threats can impact system functionality, road use safety or data with privacy attributes that are necessary to comply with legal data protection restrictions.
Cybersecurity must address vehicle protection not only by hardening systems but also by detecting ongoing attacks or threats. New threats can also arise due to advances in technology or new publicly known vulnerabilities. As a result, off-highway vehicle manufacturers and operators must continuously monitor the industry, vehicle systems and events happening in their environment, and analyse accordingly. Furthermore, they need to be able to respond to incidents or new threats. Typically, this could entail disabling vulnerable functions or interfaces, adopting new or modifying existing security policies, deploying software updates or patches, or revoking and updating certificates.
Off-highway vehicles are connected and managed by backends, the cloud and infrastructure which needs to have security built in on every level. Connected vehicles communicate via external interfaces to protect themselves from attacks against their external communication channels, employing such countermeasures as firewalls, intrusion detection systems or secure communication channels. The protection of sensitive data must be considered from end to end, so this kind of data is never communicated in plain text via an external interface. The in-vehicle network’s segmentation can isolate safety-critical functionality from a less critical subnetwork that is more exposed to outside attacks. In-vehicle communication can be protected by using secure protocols with an intrusion detection system monitoring its network communication. Security countermeasures, such as secure boot, secure software update, authentication for secure diagnostics, isolation of different partitions, data protection and encryption, and operating system hardening, round out the security of the vehicle by protecting its electronic control units.
To discuss the future of autonomous off-highway vehicles, hear keynote speeches about the latest innovations in the field, and visit a wide array of exhibitors, book your place to attend AOMTUSA – the 5th Autonomous Off-Highway Machinery Technology Summit taking place in Louisville, Kentucky, USA on December 10-11, 2025.
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