With more technology than ever in new cars, one cybersecurity expert has warned of the dangers some vehicles could pose to public safety.
Speaking at the Australian Financial Review’s Cyber Summit, Alastair MacGibbon – current chief strategy officer at CyberCX, and a former cybersecurity adviser of Malcolm Turnbull during his time as Prime Minister – sounded the alarm, and singled out Chinese vehicles as the largest risk.
The AFR reports MacGibbon believes the Australian Government’s policies towards Chinese EVs – not only those from Chinese brands but also those purely made in the nation – aren’t consistent with security priorities, urging local government officials to not ride in these vehicles.
“The last decision of the National Security Committee of the Turnbull government was to take high-risk vendors out of 5G networks,” MacGibbon said, as reported by the AFR.
“Fast-forward seven years and … potentially millions of [the Internet of Things] or connected devices – not made in China, but controlled by China – are all through our systems.
“Those cars that we talk about, whether they’re electric or not, are listening devices, and they’re surveillance devices in terms of cameras.”
In-car cameras such as driver monitor systems are primarily designed to ensure the person behind the steering wheel is attentive to the road. These systems aren’t exclusive to Chinese cars, and are widely found among new vehicle showrooms.
MacGibbon went on to list worst-case scenarios of Chinese EVs being remotely controlled to either drive at lower speeds in specific locations, or even have their battery charging safeguards disabled.
“Let’s talk [about] potential scenarios. Take off the safety features of household batteries so that they overcharge,” he said.
“Take off those same safety features for electric vehicles. Just turn them off from the manufacturer so that those vehicles explode. Degrade their ability to drive at peak hour in select cities.”
It’s worth noting that while Chinese cars and vehicles from other regions – and not just EVs – can receive over-the-air updates while parked, there have been no reported instances of vehicles being controlled remotely.
MacGibbon isn’t the first person to express concern about the security of Chinese cars. In February 2024, then-Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo claimed the data collected by Chinese EVs could pose a national security risk.
At the time, no Chinese brands sold vehicles in the US, however there were – and still are – a number of cars made in the nation and sold there.
It’s a different case in Australia, where Chinese brands and cars continue to grow in popularity. In August, China was the second-biggest exporter of cars to Australia, the first time this has occurred.
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