Britain's transport sector needs to prepare for cyber security threat: report

In the face of rapid technological developments, Britain's transport sector has to pay more attention to cyber security, according to a report released Thursday by the Transport Systems Catapult (TSC).

The emergence of a global "Intelligent Mobility" market, featuring automated vehicles, the Internet of Things and increasing use of personal data will rapidly add another layer of complexity into an already vulnerable transport network as well as open new cyber-threats, said TSC.

TSC is one of ten elite technology and innovation centers established and overseen by Britain's innovation agency, Innovate UK.

Current detection and action times on cyber incidents is measured in days, weeks and even months, but autonomous vehicle systems will require detection, identification and resolution within seconds to prevent serious safety consequences, according to the TSC.

"The way we move people and goods around the globe is undergoing a radical change,"said Andrew Everett, Chief Strategy Officer at the TSC. "It is being driven by technological advances such as wireless communications, smart devices, Open Data, the Internet of Things and more recently artificial intelligence."

"The surface area of potential attacks is set to increase significantly and the transport industry needs to get to grips with this immediately," noted Everett. Endit