New ‘Carwall Security’ System Unveiled: 2 Ways it May Impact Students of Auto Repair Programs
Earlier this year, automotive news was buzzing with stories that detailed what happens when hackers are able to get into a vehicles’ electronic control units (ECUs). A video that went viral showed two computer hackers using a laptop to get into the ECUs of a willing subject’s SUV, and they were able to do things like remotely control the sound system and even shut off the engine during highway driving. As cool as the video was, it raised a lot of concern in the automotive world from manufacturers and vehicle owners alike. It showed just how vulnerable vehicles can be to outside interference. Fortunately a new platform unveiled this month by startup Karamba Security could be the answer to such concerns.
Karamba’s Carwall security platform is basically a firewall: it protects cars from the threat of hackers by safeguarding the ECU. If you’re looking to pursue a mechanic career, you’ll learn ECUs serve as the brain of a car’s engine and several other systems. You’ll be communicating with ECUs to help run diagnostics throughout your career, so any platform that can ensure their safety can be extremely beneficial. Karamba’s Carwall platform uses technology to protect the ECU from threats in multiple ways. Read on for a few details on how the new software could impact your future career.
Any Vehicle can Benefit from Carwall once you Become a Car Mechanic in Cambridge
Karamba’s Carwall technology isn’t yet being used in production vehicles, although that might be in the works over the next few years. The company wants to be able to retrofit cars that are currently on the road. The executive chairman and co-founder of Karamba Security, David Barzilai stated “We enable retrofitting with a software update that can be installed by a car dealer.” This means that by the time you become a car mechanic in Cambridge, any customers who are concerned with their vehicle’s security will be able to get a software upgrade rather than having to go out and buy a whole new car just to feel safe on the road.
“The goal that we have with the retrofitting is to accelerate the time to production to secure existing cars,” says Barzilai.
Carwall won’t Require a Car Mechanic in Cambridge to Have Advanced Software Knowledge
New auto technology is really fascinating, but can sometimes be daunting to students in auto repair programs. More gadgets in cars means more training on how to fix those gadgets, but that’s not the case with the new Carwall security platform.
Vehicle ECUs contain codes that define how the different parts should normally work. When hackers try to interfere with a car’s GPS or infotainment system, for example, these attacks show up in the form of codes that are different than factory ECU codes. Carwall works as a firewall that’s familiar with a car’s factory settings, which helps it recognize and keep out any foreign codes designed to interrupt processes.
This saves future auto mechanics from having to sort out different codes from within vehicle ECUs. With Carwall doing the sorting and blocking, you can continue to look to ECUs for simple diagnostic purposes.
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