Transport Canada (“TC”) has partnered with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Volpe Center to develop TC’s Vehicle Cyber Security Strategy (“Vehicle Cyber Strategy”). The Vehicle Cyber Strategy is intended to set out forward-looking cyber security priorities for TC over the next five years. The primary focus of the Vehicle Cyber Strategy will be on automotive cyber security, which has been a dominant topic for the transportation industry due to the emergence of disruptive technologies relating to autonomous vehicles, electric vehicles and connected vehicles. The Vehicle Cyber Strategy will also address some high-level considerations for road infrastructure given its nexus to automotive cyber security.
As vehicles rely further on technology and become more connected, it is vital that organizations ensure that the artificial intelligence systems, communication networks, automotive electronic systems, software and data utilized by these vehicles are protected from unauthorized access or malicious attacks. While the risk of cyber threats continues to increase, there are limited guidelines or standards that relate to the protection of vehicle components from cyber threats.
TC has been consulting with stakeholders, including various trade associations, to help shape its Vehicle Cyber Strategy and to assist in identifying and selecting goals, priorities and critical issues with respect to policy, programmatic, technical and operational aspects in support of road transportation cyber resilience in Canada. Members of the Miller Thomson Transportation & Logistics Team are monitoring these developments and will provide further updates as they become available.
