Bhargab Acharya, University of Memphis; Sam Lauzon, Bishop Fox; Spiros Thanasoulas, University of Memphis; David Balenson, USC Information Sciences Institute; Christos Papadopoulos, University of Memphis
Personally Identifiable Information (PII) routinely persists on vehicle infotainment systems after ownership changes, and retrieving it has been shown to be easy with off-the-shelf forensic tools. Such data can be abused by malicious actors. The cryptographic and storage elements needed to address this already exist and are widely deployed in phones and laptops but not vehicles. The challenge is not a gap in technology, but adapting existing mechanisms to vehicle-specific realities: shared use, physical keys instead of passwords, messy identity, and limited OTA updates. We analyze these constraints, identify deployable fixes that require no new cryptographic or hardware primitives, and outline what is needed to implement them in practice. Our goal is to provide actionable guidance for OEMs, regulators, and consumers.
Open Access Media
USENIX is committed to Open Access to the research presented at our events. Papers and proceedings are freely available to everyone once the event begins. Any video, audio, and/or slides that are posted after the event are also free and open to everyone. Support USENIX and our commitment to Open Access.
