The expanding EV segment is a good sign for the planet. However, according to a recent report, electric charge points are highly vulnerable to attacks by hackers. This is why the number of hacking attacks is increasing day by day.
Two types of hackers try to find their way into the system of EV chargers. One of them is white-collar hackers who work for companies looking for a way to improve their systems.
However, the second group is the dangerous one as it involves black-hat hackers who get into the system of EV chargers mainly for getting money from the companies.
What Can Hackers Do To Your EVs?
The bad intentions of hackers are not just limited to electric chargers. Rather they can also attack your electric vehicle and perform several activities that can harm your daily life.
These include but are not limited to:
- Disabling the vehicle’s brakes;
- Changing the settings of the headlights;
- Decreasing the capacity of the EV battery.
However, the worst of all of the above is that the hackers can even take over the control of your vehicle’s steering wheel from you.
This means that they can change the direction of motion in real-time which can lead to serious road accidents.
How Are EV Chargers Hacked?
Hackers play around with EV chargers by loading ransomware into the chargers. This is done to either slow down these chargers or stop them altogether from working.
Hackers also get into the system of EV chargers to save themselves from charging fees. This puts direct stress on the service providers.
Who Are The Hackers Targeting?
As most hackers are looking for a way to make money, thus the normal EV user is not the target of their hacking.
Usually, these hackers attack companies that make huge transactions regularly. This means that the EV fleet charging centres are at the biggest threat from such attacks.
Not all hackers are after money though. This is why they don’t always target rich customers.
In a recent case, a group of Ukrainian hackers attacked the Russian EV charging network and hacked into it. This group then displayed its hate for Russia through their message displayed at these EV chargers.
Another way in which hackers target their customers is by displaying illicit content on the screens of chargers.
While this does not have a direct monetary effect on the company, it can keep some customers away from such chargers in the future due to their past distasteful experience.
How To Protect Your EV From Being Hacked?
Now that we know that there are specialized groups of hackers that are looking to make a quick buck, we need to be vigilant.
So, what can we do to protect our EVs from being hacked by such people? Well, the answer might be a bit disappointing for you as there is not much that you can do in this regard.
This is because most of these hackers are so technologically advanced that the average Joe is simply not equipped to counter their attacks.
However, different institutes, such as the University Of Georgia, and manufacturers are working towards finding a solution.
Some of the critical areas that the electric vehicle owners need to focus on for safeguarding their EVs from such attacks include:
- Using reliable hardware;
- Employ a better firewall;
- Install latest software updates;
- Secure on-board diagnostics port.
Final Verdict
As the world of EVs is expanding, we will surely see a rise in the number of such attacks in the future.
However, it is the prime responsibility of EV manufacturers to ensure that their products are safe so that the losses to EV owners can be minimized if not completely eliminated.
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