The sight of two hackers easily breaking into a 2014 Jeep Cherokee for a Wired Magazine report put the automotive industry on high notice about the state of its cybersecurity.
It also led to Chrysler, the parent company of Jeep, to recall 1.4 million Jeep, Chrysler and Dodge vehicles over cybersecurity concerns.
With the concern over the state of cybersecurity in cars continuing to be high and automakers continuing to push the envelope on being more connected, one startup company is taking measures to secure vehicles for a long time to come.
A CNBC report on April 7 highlights Karamba Security, which has already received $2.5 million in funding. According to the website, the company's technology seals off and secures vehicles' infotainment systems, built-in GPS devices and roadside-assistance software, making them impenetrable to hackers.
How? Well, Karamba bans any unfamiliar or foreign code being able to run in any of the aforementioned technology systems. By cutting off the access to all entry points, the startup feels confident that hackers won't be able to break into vehicles and manipulate the ignition, steering and brakes.
"We make sure that only what's part of the factory settings is allowed to run," David Barzilai, Karamba's co-founder and executive chairman, told CNBC. "Once we recognize foreign code, we just do not let it run."
He added: "Concerns about security are relatively new. But they're urgent."
Smart. Karamba Security has been honing its technology for nearly one year now, with two of its four founders having previously worked for Check Point Software, which also enforces cybersecurity.
CNBC additionally reports that the startup seeks to partner with heavyweight auto system manufacturers as a means of directly selling to automakers. The company will have competition, as Symantec is reportedly developing auto security measures as well, after years of being an anti-virus solution.
To truly impact the industry, Karamba and other companies in the automotive cybersecurity space need to keep abreast with the ever-updating connectivity features that keep being introduced by automakers.
Not an easy task whatsoever. Then again, working with several automakers through negotiations would be an amazing start.
