READY, SET, GO! THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY RACES AGAINST ATTACKERS TO PLUG DATA LEAKS

This article was originally written by Pauline Losson and published at Technology Dispatch. Read the original here. 

Like most markets today, the automotive industry is driven by advancing technology and steered by the objective of successful digital transformation. However, these advancements have left businesses exposed to more attack avenues. Earlier in the year, Gartner revealed that investments in cyber and information security would be a priority for 71 percent of automotive CISOs in 2021. Given the relentless threats currently facing the industry, this focus must continue.    

The industry has already experienced the full force of modern-day attackers. Just last year, Honda suffered a major ransomware attack to its global operations. Ekans ransomware rendered the company helpless as it targeted the industrial control systems network and forced production to halt and workers were sent home. 

In addition to ransomware, the industry is facing unprecedented levels of risks from external threats, which are being exacerbated by increasingly complex supply chains. Our latest global research has revealed that automotive companies are unknowingly revealing sensitive information. And so the race is on to locate and plug the data leaks before extensive damage is caused.  

The painful reality of exposed credentials 

A data leak of any scale is a major security risk to an organization, but the sensitivity of the data exposed can amplify the fallout. Our research of 14 leading automotive manufacturers revealed that roughly 215,000 credentials associated with passwords have been exposed over a six-month period. 

This article was originally written by Pauline Losson and published at Technology Dispatch. Read the original here.