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They’re the cars of the future, but many people are still concerned about the safety of autonomous cars. Can a car that drives itself really be safe and trusted on the road? Set your fears aside, because self-driving cars are actually incredibly safe and could lead to a much safer driving environment for everyone.

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The core of a safe autonomous car is its operating system. Because they don’t rely on a human driver for control, autonomous vehicles have a...

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Connected cars are on their way, and one of the main concerns is how to keep them secured so that hackers cannot gain access and control. It is estimated that within five to 10 years, a quarter of a billion cars worldwide will be connected cars.

Put simply, a connected automobile is one which contains the equipment for internet access and a wireless local area network. This creates an area in the car and directly...

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Market researcher Nielsen has released its 2016 Nielsen AutoTECHCAST report, which assess consumer preferences for emerging and advanced automotive technologies. The report covers nearly 12,000 new car buyers in the US and 44 auto-related technologies, and highlighted the challenges to adoption of these technologies.

More specifically, the report found a glaring lack of consumer awareness of many automobile technologies, despite their growing advancement. Base familiarity was...

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With the potential to improve the entire driving experience, as well as advance safety standards across the board, there’s a good reason why many drivers are excited to see what the future of the connected car has in store.

However, alongside this excitement, there have been concerns voiced around the security of the connected car. With examples such as Nissan admitting some of its Leaf cars can be easily hacked, allowing their heating and...

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A report from security services provider IOActive argues that almost half of the vulnerabilities found in connected cars are either ‘critical’ or ‘high’ impact.

The research categorised each of its findings in five ratings. Critical, or a score of five out of five, would result in “extreme impact” to a vehicle and would be a flaw which receives media attention. High impact (4/5) could be a regulatory violation and “major” for the vehicle,...

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CalAmp-owned LoJack is raising awareness among consumers concerning connected car theft with a campaign as part of July's National Vehicle Theft Protection Month.

Auto theft is witnessing a sea change on account of the advent of the IoT and complex connected vehicle technology, the company warns. As a result, perpetrators are resorting sophisticated efforts in order to steal vehicles even as the FBI’s Preliminary Semiannual Uniform Crime Report revealed that auto theft grew...

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Telematics data from Insure The Box was successfully utilised in the defence of a policyholder in a liability trial at Wandsworth County Court, an industry first, the company has announced. Usually, Insure The Box makes use of telematics data daily to ensure the efficient and quick payment of legitimate claims. The veracity of the telematics data helped Insure The Box defend proceedings issued against its customer as opposed to the third party’s version of events.

Adrian...

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The government has launched a major consultation which invites drivers and members of the industry to have their say on regulations surrounding driverless vehicles to ensure they can be insured for use on roads as soon as commercially available. 

Patrick 

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We’re entering an incredibly exciting time for the automotive industry. The connected car in all its forms is now very much a reality. By 2020 it’s expected there will be nearly a quarter of a billion of them on the world’s roads and that means we’re poised for something of a revolution.

The rise of the connected car is bringing about some fascinating new opportunities for in-car entertainment and communications. Beyond that, it promises a whole new world where...

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When car manufacturers have to implement security updates or patches to connected cars, time is of the essence. Fluctuating connection speeds and network coverage of mobile networks aggravate the issue, but a cloud-based over the air (OTA) connected vehicle solution can provide the answer.  With it, the delivery of critical updates can be accelerated while the data centre being used to deliver the update can be protected against DDoS attacks.

No matter how huge the benefits of...

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Information security provider Symantec has announced the launch of Symantec Anomaly Detection for Automotive, which aids in identifying zero day attacks for automotive vehicle manufacturers.

Gartner holds that 220 million connected cars will be on the road in 2020 as vehicle owners benefit from conveniences such as navigation, remote roadside assistance and mobile internet hot spots. However, these new technologies are susceptible to hacking that could endanger the lives of drivers and...

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Mark Rosekind, head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), argues driverless cars need to be twice as safe in order to provide tangible benefits for consumers.

The number of road deaths in 2015 climbed to 38,300 from 32,675 in 2014 and Mark Rosekind, head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said, “It’s a 747 crashing every week for a year, that’s what the losses are on our highways. And that is unacceptable.”

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Another day, another story of car hacking and general skulduggery. First we had Jeep, then it was Corvette, and now, after several others, it is the turn of Mitsubishi.

Research from Pen Test Partners found a high number of security vulnerabilities in the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV; in the words of Ken Munro, of Pen Test Partners, some of which were funny, others were...

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Connected car technology manufacturer HARMAN International has announced the development of a system to remove blind spots in cars to avoid collisions with pedestrians.

Accidents involving pedestrians cause around 200 deaths and injure 15,000 people every year in the US. HARMAN's Reverse Pedestrian Detection safety system uses data from other HARMAN technologies, including a rear sensor and camera, to detect pedestrians behind a vehicle. Most importantly, it can detect smaller children...

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Israel-based startup Karamba Security has announced it has come out of stealth with a $2.5 million finance round in its attempts to provide a “unique approach to in-car security.”

Karamba Security's purpose-built ECU endpoint solution protects the externally connected components of a car, identifying attempts to attack and block exploits from infiltrating the network of the car.

The new solution will enable automakers to embed security enforcement and detection...

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A note from connected car technology provider SenseDriver argues the time has come for investment in safer driving technology.

The National Highway Traffic Safety reported an 8.1% year-on-year increase in deaths from motor vehicle crashes in 2015 and as a result auto insurance policy rates have also risen. Warren Buffett, the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, has attributed the rise in deaths to distracted driving on account of phones as cars, despite this, have become safer.

SenseDriver...

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The FBI and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have issued a joint public service announcement (PSA) urging the connected vehicle industry and consumers to remain aware of cybersecurity threats to vehicles.

Both organisations have provided an explanation on how computers are utilised in modern motor vehicles and how a hacker can access vehicle networks and driver data. The PSA issued by the organisations details how vulnerabilities may exist within a...

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Self-driving cars are the wave of the future - at least, that’s what every technology publication seems to be saying these days, and honestly, it’s tough to argue with the idea. Many experts believe self-driving cars could become a common sight on the roads in as little as five years. Some are pushing off their predictions to 10 or 15 years down the line, but they all seem to agree that self-driving cars will become a permanent fixture at some...

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Picturing your loved ones travelling in a vehicle being controlled or tracked by an unauthorised third-party should terrify you, but new research from Kelley Blue Book points towards consumers being less concerned by vehicle hacks now than just six months ago. 

"More vehicle hacking entry points exist...

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Audi has announced an expansion of its partnership with telco giant AT&T over provision of high speed Internet to Audi vehicles in North America.

The renewed agreement will facilitate the addition of many new features to the Audi Connect system in select 2017 and 2018 models. The features include new safety, security and infotainment features, such as remote lock and unlock, stolen vehicle locator, online roadside assistance and service requests over the AT&T...