{"id":173377,"date":"2025-12-31T10:20:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-31T15:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/31\/what-2026-holds-for-automotive-cybersecurity\/"},"modified":"2025-12-31T10:25:11","modified_gmt":"2025-12-31T15:25:11","slug":"what-2026-holds-for-automotive-cybersecurity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/31\/what-2026-holds-for-automotive-cybersecurity\/","title":{"rendered":"What 2026 holds for automotive cybersecurity"},"content":{"rendered":"

What 2026 holds for automotive cybersecurity<\/a><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.evinfrastructurenews.com\/ev-technology\/what-2026-holds-for-automotive-cybersecurity<\/a><\/p>\n

Publish Date: 2025-12-31 10:20:00<\/a><\/p>\n

Source Domain: www.evinfrastructurenews.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Author: <\/a><\/p>\n

Using an unordered list, summarize the following article with between 4 and 8 key points. In this contributed article, Claire Maslen, senior vice president of commercial and operations at telecoms and cybersecurity firm Trustonic, explores why secure-by-design, OTA security, supply-chain resilience, and the use of AI in both attack and defence will define the year ahead for OEMs.The past year has\u00a0confirmed\u00a0that\u00a0cybersecurity is now\u00a0an integral\u00a0part of everyday automotive safety.\u00a0Throughout 2025, we saw an increasing number of\u00a0attacks on vehicles and\u00a0their surrounding\u00a0systems, and there\u00a0is no\u00a0indication\u00a0that this will slow\u00a0down in\u00a02026.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Modern\u00a0cars are built on layers of software, cloud\u00a0connections\u00a0and wireless features.\u00a0Although\u00a0these advancements offer\u00a0huge\u00a0benefits,\u00a0they\u00a0also\u00a0open up\u00a0more avenues for\u00a0attackers to\u00a0exploit.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Break-ins to vehicle control systems, theft of driver data\u00a0and\u00a0attacks that\u00a0can\u00a0bring\u00a0entire\u00a0production lines\u00a0to a standstill\u00a0once\u00a0seemed\u00a0like\u00a0far-fetched\u00a0scenarios,\u00a0but they\u00a0are now very real\u00a0threats\u00a0for\u00a0manufacturers.\u00a0A few high-profile ransomware\u00a0incidents\u00a0this year, for example the cyber-attack on Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) in September which halted production for\u00a0nearly six\u00a0weeks,\u00a0have\u00a0served as\u00a0a strong\u00a0reminder of\u00a0how\u00a0fast\u00a0the\u00a0repercussions\u00a0can\u00a0spread\u00a0through\u00a0global operations.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0As the industry\u00a0gears up for\u00a0the next 12 months, the\u00a0major concern for manufacturers\u00a0isn\u2019t\u00a0whether\u00a0threats will\u00a0grow, but\u00a0instead\u00a0how quickly\u00a0they will\u00a0do so\u00a0and\u00a0what\u00a0this\u00a0means for the teams\u00a0responsible for\u00a0keeping vehicles and drivers safe.Related:UK EV charging infrastructure review: policy and technology trends in 2025Regulation tightens and\u00a0manufacturers\u00a0reprioritise\u00a0\u00a0In\u00a02026,\u00a0we\u2019ll\u00a0see\u00a0a lot of the global regulatory\u00a0efforts that began in\u00a0previous years\u00a0really start to take\u00a0effect. Frameworks such as UNECE WP\u00a0will\u00a0push for\u00a0tangible\u00a0changes in how manufacturers\u00a0structure their operations, design their systems and\u00a0work\u00a0with suppliers.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0This\u00a0will\u00a0turn\u00a0cybersecurity\u00a0into\u00a0a\u00a0joint\u00a0responsibility,\u00a0rather than something\u00a0that\u00a0is only addressed at the end of\u00a0development. Manufacturers\u00a0will\u00a0need to\u00a0prove\u00a0they have\u00a0considered\u00a0the entire lifecycle of a vehicle, from\u00a0sourcing\u00a0components\u00a0and\u00a0building\u00a0software\u00a0to\u00a0delivering\u00a0updates and\u00a0monitoring\u00a0risks\u00a0long\u00a0after a car\u00a0rolls off the assembly line.\u00a0Secure-by-design becomes an expectation\u00a0As\u00a0the software-defined vehicle\u00a0market keeps expanding,\u00a0the\u00a0idea\u00a0of\u00a0secure-by-design\u00a0has\u00a0changed\u00a0from\u00a0being\u00a0a\u00a0\u2018nice-to-have\u2019\u00a0to an absolute necessity. When\u00a0nearly\u00a0every\u00a0feature in a car\u00a0relies\u00a0on software, security\u00a0cannot\u00a0be an\u00a0add-on\u00a0that\u00a0isn\u2019t\u00a0considered until after the\u00a0engineering\u00a0phase is complete.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Related:The EV service stations of tomorrow: What drivers can expect in 2026Encouragingly,\u00a0we\u2019re\u00a0already\u00a0seeing\u00a0a change in how teams think about things.\u00a0Now, security\u00a0requirements\u00a0are being\u00a0factored in\u00a0alongside user experience,\u00a0performance\u00a0and cost, and this is\u00a0influencing\u00a0everything from vehicle\u00a0architecture\u00a0to testing methods and\u00a0choice\u00a0of\u00a0suppliers.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0In 2026, the companies\u00a0that bring their security and\u00a0engineering teams together much earlier in the\u00a0development\u00a0process\u00a0will\u00a0be the ones that\u00a0really stand out.\u00a0\u00a0OTA updates\u00a0\u00a0Over-the-air\u00a0[OTA]\u00a0updates have become a\u00a0standard\u00a0part of\u00a0owning a\u00a0vehicle, instrumental in fixing\u00a0bugs,\u00a0rolling out\u00a0new\u00a0features\u00a0and\u00a0allowing\u00a0manufacturers\u00a0to\u00a0respond to vulnerabilities quickly.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0However,\u00a0as OTA\u00a0updates\u00a0become more\u00a0common, the channels used for them\u00a0are also\u00a0becoming\u00a0targets.\u00a0Attackers are\u00a0continuously looking\u00a0for\u00a0ways to intercept updates, spoof legitimate\u00a0messages\u00a0or inject malicious code.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0For manufacturers, the challenge\u00a0in\u00a02026\u00a0will be\u00a0to\u00a0maintain\u00a0the\u00a0convenience and\u00a0flexibility\u00a0of OTA\u00a0updates,\u00a0while\u00a0ensuring a stronger security framework around the entire\u00a0update\u00a0process, from cloud servers to the vehicle\u2019s own verification\u00a0systems.\u00a0A\u00a0weaker\u00a0supply chainWhile the\u00a0automotive supply chain has\u00a0never\u00a0been\u00a0straightforward,\u00a0as the industry\u00a0moves towards a more software-driven approach,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0becoming\u00a0increasingly\u00a0vulnerable.\u00a0Just one\u00a0compromised\u00a0component\u00a0or supplier can\u00a0cause\u00a0delays, recalls or security issues that\u00a0impact\u00a0multiple vehicle lines.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Related:Ford to take US$19.5 billion loss as it downsizes EV capacity, turns to energy storage marketThis is\u00a0forcing\u00a0manufacturers to\u00a0look more\u00a0closely\u00a0at how they\u00a0evaluate\u00a0suppliers, how much\u00a0insight\u00a0they have\u00a0into\u00a0third-party code and how quickly they can\u00a0respond\u00a0if a partner\u00a0flags\u00a0a problem.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Supply-chain cybersecurity has\u00a0gone\u00a0from\u00a0being\u00a0a\u00a0behind-the-scenes issue to a\u00a0crucial\u00a0factor that\u00a0impacts\u00a0production continuity and brand\u00a0trust, and this will only become\u00a0more\u00a0apparent\u00a0in 2026.\u00a0\u00a0AI changes the pace of attack and defenceArtificial intelligence is\u00a0introducing\u00a0a new\u00a0layer\u00a0to the cybersecurity challenge. Attackers are\u00a0using\u00a0AI tools to\u00a0map potential targets\u00a0at\u00a0lightning\u00a0speed,\u00a0creating\u00a0more convincing phishing\u00a0attempts\u00a0and\u00a0identifying\u00a0vulnerabilities\u00a0with\u00a0significantly\u00a0less manual effort.\u00a0\u00a0At the same time, AI is\u00a0stepping up to help\u00a0defenders\u00a0identify\u00a0unusual behaviour\u00a0sooner,\u00a0streamline\u00a0parts of incident response and\u00a0handle\u00a0huge\u00a0amounts\u00a0of\u00a0data\u00a0generated\u00a0by\u00a0today\u2019s\u00a0vehicles and their supporting systems.\u00a0\u00a0Organisations that\u00a0understand\u00a0how\u00a0to\u00a0effectively\u00a0combine\u00a0AI\u2019s\u00a0capabilities\u00a0with human\u00a0insight\u00a0will have a noticeable\u00a0edge\u00a0as the threat landscape\u00a0continues to grow.\u00a0Forecasting 2026There\u2019s no doubt that the\u00a0coming\u00a0year\u00a0will\u00a0be challenging\u00a0for automotive. Vehicles are becoming\u00a0increasingly\u00a0connected, regulations are\u00a0tightening\u00a0and attackers are\u00a0getting\u00a0more\u00a0sophisticated.\u00a0\u00a0The\u00a0good news\u00a0is that\u00a0the industry is\u00a0already\u00a0showing\u00a0the\u00a0intention and willingness\u00a0to meet these challenges. By\u00a0viewing\u00a0cybersecurity as a\u00a0joint\u00a0responsibility\u00a0that involves\u00a0everyone\u00a0from engineers and suppliers to executives and customer teams,\u00a0manufacturers\u00a0can\u00a0produce\u00a0vehicles that are not\u00a0only\u00a0innovative but resilient\u00a0against bad actors.\u00a0\u00a0Companies that\u00a0choose to\u00a0invest now,\u00a0instead of\u00a0waiting for the next\u00a0crisis, will be the ones\u00a0that\u00a0determine\u00a0what safe\u00a0and\u00a0trusted mobility looks like in 2026 and beyond.
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What 2026 holds for automotive cybersecurity https:\/\/www.evinfrastructurenews.com\/ev-technology\/what-2026-holds-for-automotive-cybersecurity Publish Date: 2025-12-31 10:20:00 Source Domain: www.evinfrastructurenews.com Author:…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":173378,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/eu-images.contentstack.com\/v3\/assets\/blt452efb5f3e725f7e\/blta170877f362bc7e2\/6944132dca0c692cea0bd69e\/matrix-356024_1280.jpg?disable=upscale&width=1200&height=630&fit=crop","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[26,24,31,25],"class_list":["post-173377","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cybersecurity","tag-ai","tag-cybersecurity","tag-exploit","tag-phishing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173377"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=173377"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173377\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":173379,"href":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173377\/revisions\/173379"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/173378"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=173377"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=173377"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=173377"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}