WardsAuto Podcast: Why CDK Cyberattack Is the Tip of the Iceberg

Cybersecurity is as hot a topic in the auto industry as electrified vehicles and software-defined vehicles (SDVs). Why? Look at the crippling ransomware attack on CDK Global, a software provider for U.S. car dealerships, which reportedly paid $25 million to end a cyberattack resulting in a nationwide outage at dealerships.

Automakers are moving fast to a business model centered around connected cars, SDVs and EVs with extensive software controls. Cyberattacks are a daily fact of life with a steady stream of cyberattacks of every stripe battering companies’ software infrastructure and data management. And we are seeing the advent of attacks on vehicles.

Are we ready for this challenge? Are we taking it seriously enough? This week we talk with Boaz Hartal, vice president of mobility and operations at Upstream, an Israeli-based cyber-defense company making fast headway with auto industry businesses about our readiness, defense strategy and threats that come with increasingly relying on software to power our mobility.