LG Electronics and American conglomerate Honeywell vowed to collaborate on solutions to protect future cars from hackers, having signed a memorandum of understanding announcing their new partnership earlier this week. The duo’s project will primarily be focused on the creation of a new software platform meant to protect fully connected vehicles from cybersecurity threats. The platform should allow for secure system communications between supported cars and network infrastructure while also introducing an additional security layer to any data exchanges between in-vehicle systems. Both satellite and cellular connectivity will be protected by the software, allowing for safe external communications that hackers won’t be able to intercept or manipulate in order to spy on vehicle owners or try to access their automobiles’ systems.
The comprehensive solution will be targeted at automakers seeking to increase the level of connectivity offered by their products in the future but without compromising the safety and security of their customers, the two partners said. No specific timetable has been attached to the project, presumably because the initiative has only just been formalized, whereas the technology it’s targeting remains in an extremely early phase of development, even though some of its components are already operational. The South Korean tech giant suggested its experimental cybersecurity platform made in collaboration with Honeywell and demoed at the 2018 iteration of the Consumer Electronics Show last month may serve as the basis for the upcoming system but didn’t elaborate on the matter.
Besides hackers looking to remote into vehicles, the solution should also protect against more traditional forms of intrusion, being set to use some of LG’s existing auto security software. Honeywell will primarily be contributing to the platform with its expertise and services meant to ensure the security of in-car communications and handle internal analytics, whereas LG will be focused on delivering protections from outside threats, both thieves and hackers. The Seoul-based original equipment manufacturer has recently been increasing its commitment to the automotive segment, having teamed up with companies like Qualcomm and HERE in order to beef up its vehicle solutions in terms of communications, (cyber)security, entertainment, and navigation, with its mobile telematics-related ambitions being likely to continue growing going forward.