But understand my position: I am not an advocate of automated cars, or even highly computerized cars. The more computerized the car becomes the more points of failure it gets, whether that be a dropped internet/GPS connection, a hardware glitch, or "cosmic rays" (which got the blame for the Prius brake issues).
It takes significant developmental effort to hack the ECU. And if you don't want the changes to be detectable by mechanics or a prescreen drive test, you need to be especially cautious in your changes. You must disassemble and analyze the ENTIRE codebase of the ECU to determine where you want your changes to reside, then pack it back in.
A simple countermeasure is to let the mechanics look at the ECU version checksum. Standardize the checksum across the model, with subsequent patches being listed as a different version number. Then the mechanic checks with the official manufacturer's guide and you know if there's a problem.
You are sounding paranoid.
Physical security is always the first, and most effective barrier. If the interface were better secured digitally, it wouldn't take a genius to access the ECU's circuitry and wire an extension. But again, it takes significant investment.
If the ECU is modified to accelerate at maximum speed at some random moment, the only thing necessary to defeat it is switching into neutral and pulling off the road! The range of destructiveness the ECU can cause is limited, though it can rack up your repair bills.
Crime syndicates usually buy shares in the local police force. If you meet a mysterious end in a car accident the investigation would be tampered with regardless of the method used to kill you.
But understand my position: I am not an advocate of automated cars, or even highly computerized cars. The more computerized the car becomes the more points of failure it gets, whether that be a dropped internet/GPS connection, a hardware glitch, or "cosmic rays" (which got the blame for the Prius brake issues).
It takes significant developmental effort to hack the ECU. And if you don't want the changes to be detectable by mechanics or a prescreen drive test, you need to be especially cautious in your changes. You must disassemble and analyze the ENTIRE codebase of the ECU to determine where you want your changes to reside, then pack it back in.
A simple countermeasure is to let the mechanics look at the ECU version checksum. Standardize the checksum across the model, with subsequent patches being listed as a different version number. Then the mechanic checks with the official manufacturer's guide and you know if there's a problem.
You are sounding paranoid.
Physical security is always the first, and most effective barrier. If the interface were better secured digitally, it wouldn't take a genius to access the ECU's circuitry and wire an extension. But again, it takes significant investment.
If the ECU is modified to accelerate at maximum speed at some random moment, the only thing necessary to defeat it is switching into neutral and pulling off the road! The range of destructiveness the ECU can cause is limited, though it can rack up your repair bills.
Crime syndicates usually buy shares in the local police force. If you meet a mysterious end in a car accident the investigation would be tampered with regardless of the method used to kill you.
Theory is wildly different from reality.