Security Vulnerabilities and Threats Related to CAV Deployment

   Connected and automated vehicles clearly are one of the main solutions in order to improve the efficiency, the safety, and the equity of the future transportation services. However, by connecting the vehicle to its environment and by increasing its level of automation, cyber-security issues are multiplied. These cyber-attacks could notably target in-vehicle systems, V2X communication networks and the Digital Infrastructure of the Traffic Management and Operations Systems. By attacking these systems, the attacker could try to block the exchange of messages (between the vehicle and the infrastructure, within the vehicle itself) or to deteriorate the system operation itself (denial of service attack, malware). The attacker might also be able to analyze all the data exchanged between the vehicles and the infrastructure (privacy).

   Therefore, the attack objects (vehicle, communications, infrastructure) and the attacks types (denial of service, privacy, replay, flooding, malware, etc.) are numerous and can be executed simultaneous for a higher negative impact. Nevertheless, some existing countermeasures can be used both at the network level (cryptography, Intrusion Detection Systems, Firewalls) and at the software level (malware detection, software vulnerabilities detection). Nevertheless, a lot of issues always remain like interference generation which disturb communication, GPS, and sensors until to generated a full failure. Another issue could concern the methods applied to process information. In case of AI-based systems (with learning stages), intentional malicious actions on the environment (road signs and road markings) could cause false detection and recognition of object and sign features. With this failure of the perception using IA-based methods, the decision module could send erroneous orders to the vehicle actuators generating inappropriate behaviors and maneuvers. In the worst case, these behaviors could generate collision, injuries, and fatalities. This subject of detection, recognition, resistance and resilience to different types of cyber-attacks (single or multiple) is one of the critical and major issues to be addressed in order to guarantee the deployment of both high quality of service (HqoS) and high level of safety (HloS) mobility means.