Driving Into Cybersecurity Trouble With Autonomous Vehicles

Abstract

Researchers forecast that autonomous vehicles will reduce accidents by 90%. The ethical interplay of autonomous vehicles, cybersecurity vulnerabilities, and societal demands further complicates the governments' decisions on self-driving cars. Autonomous vehicles have safety, economic, and societal benefactors; however, offsetting the unintended consequences of technologies requires governance initiatives to address cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities. At issue is the lack of ethical consideration for autonomous vehicles from a cybersecurity perspective, given the amount of personal and sensitive data created, used, and stored by autonomous vehicles. The advancement of autonomous cars is increasingly reliant on software, consequently making them vulnerable to cyber-attacks. Software vulnerabilities remain a top cyber-attack vector in all industries. The deliberation concerning ethics for autonomous cars is ebb and flow, especially as opposing sides increase arguments as self-driving vehicles reach a reality.