Toyota, Hitachi and Others to Cooperate in Protecting Cars from Cyberattacks in 2025

TapTechNews August 21, it is reported by Nikkei today that Toyota, Hitachi and other companies will cooperate to protect cars from cyberattacks. In order to respond quickly to software vulnerabilities related to vehicle control, as an industry group, the unified software bill of materials rules will be implemented as early as 2025.

It is reported that 116 enterprises including Toyota and Mazda and other automotive enterprises, Aisin and Denso and other parts manufacturers, and Hitachi have joined an industry group named Japan Automotive ISAC, which will formulate industry-unified rules for the SBOM (software bill of materials) that comprehensively summarizes the program names and providers and other information of the on-board software.

The principle is that if a vulnerability that may become the target of a cyberattack is found in a widely used program, if the SBOM is unified in the industry in advance, manufacturers can quickly confirm whether the relevant program is used in their own products by comparison.

Connected cars can obtain functional upgrades by updating software. In this field, China and the United States are in the leading position, and the driving assistance function will be updated several times after the vehicle is launched. It is reported that if a vulnerability is found in the program, but the manufacturer takes a do-nothing measure, then the cyberattack may remotely start/turn off the engine or cause the vehicle to be stolen due to being unlocked.

According to TapTechNews' previous report, in May this year, major Japanese automakers such as Toyota, Nissan, and Honda will cooperate to develop software for the next-generation cars, involving technologies in seven fields such as generative AI and semiconductors, which will help reduce development costs.

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Japan's three major automakers join hands, Toyota, Nissan and Honda will cooperate to develop next-generation car software