State-owned Research Institutes of Sweden has just launched Europe’s most advanced cyber security initiative dedicated to vehicle testing. 

The launch of the Cyber Test Lab for Automotive by the Research Institutes of Sweden (RISE) comes at an important time for the industry with the automotive industry is projected to lose a staggering US$505 billion by 2024 to cyber attacks. Hackers are becoming more sophisticated with 84.5% of 2021 attacks carried out remotely.

The Cyber Test Lab for Automotive enables the industry to test vehicles by using the latest in cyber technology and the world’s most rigorous testing methods.  

The Cyber Test Lab will offer a range of unprecedented insights, methods, and test beds in collaboration with world-leading telecom experts and ethical hackers. The partnership is unique in tackling what has become a key concern for manufacturers competing to build connected vehicles. 

RISE CEO, Pia Sandvik, said the lab is “addressing the burgeoning cyber threatening around connected vehicles today and in the future”.

“A single automotive manufacturer cannot work alone in finding ways to combat cyber-attacks. This must be done with the broadest range of expertise to ensure that the whole industry benefits from centralized research.” 

Cyber Test Lab launches at an unprecedented time for the industry: 

- Vehicles with embedded connectivity will account for about 80% of connected vehicle sales by  2026 (Businesswire, January 2022),  

- By 2030, about 95 percent of new vehicles sold globally will be connected, up from around 50  percent today according to McKinsey & Company.  

- The automotive industry is projected to lose a staggering $505 billion by 2024 to cyber attacks. Hackers are becoming more sophisticated with 84.5% of 2021 attacks carried out remotely. (Upstream security, January 2022).  

RISE started its planning for a dedicated automotive cyber security test lab in 2021, following several high-profile cyber-attacks on vehicles around the world.

Cyber Test Lab provides test services including simulation/virtualization, sub-system testing, semi-virtual and full vehicle testing in controlled environments. This allows manufacturers to stress test new technologies and products through the whole R&D process.  

“It might sound controversial, but we firmly believe working with ethical hackers is critical in testing vehicles to their limits,” said Tomas Bodeklint, Head of Operations at Cyber Test Lab.

“The ethical hackers are selected partners from our existing Cyber Range in  Stockholm. This launch of the Cyber Test Lab is especially important at a time when cyber-attacks and  cyber threats against infrastructure and connected technology have become a fast-growing problem  around the world.” 

The RISE Cyber Test Lab will start advanced testing by the beginning of 2023. In preparation, pilot projects are already in full swing, simulating cyber-attacks on vehicles and electric vehicles charging infrastructure.