Unsettled Topics Concerning the Impact of Quantum Technologies on
Automotive Cybersecurity EPR2020026
Quantum computing is considered the “next big thing” when it comes to solving
computational problems impossible to tackle using conventional computers.
However, a major concern is that quantum computers could be used to crack
current cryptographic schemes designed to withstand traditional cyberattacks.
This threat also impacts future automated vehicles as they become embedded in a
vehicle-to-everything (V2X) ecosystem. In this scenario, encrypted data is
transmitted between a complex network of cloud-based data servers, vehicle-based
data servers, and vehicle sensors and controllers. While the vehicle hardware
ages, the software enabling V2X interactions will be updated multiple times. It
is essential to make the V2X ecosystem quantum-safe through use of “post-quantum
cryptography” as well other applicable quantum technologies.
This SAE EDGE™ Research Report considers the following three areas to be
unsettled questions in the V2X ecosystem:
How soon will quantum computing pose a threat to
connected and automated vehicle
technologies?
What steps and measures
are needed to make a V2X ecosystem
“quantum-safe?”
What standardization is
needed to ensure that quantum technologies do not pose an
unacceptable risk from an automotive cybersecurity
perspective?
