Cybersecurity Considerations for Vehicles
• SEI Report
Publisher
Software Engineering Institute
Topic or Tag
Abstract
Historically, cybersecurity has been mainly considered for software of computer systems and networks. In recent years, the number of electronic control units (ECUs) in modern vehicles, as well as the amount of software and importance of software used in vehicles, has been increasing. Modern vehicles contain up to 100 ECUs, which are connected to fulfill their respective functions.1 Many of these ECUs are safety related, such as airbag control, adaptive cruise control, and the braking system. Because ECUs within a vehicle are interconnected, the security of the safety-related ECUs depends strongly on the security of the other ECUs. Cybersecurity needs to expand to include vehicles.
Cite This SEI Report
Sherman, M., & Palluch, J. (2015, December 10). Cybersecurity Considerations for Vehicles. Retrieved September 21, 2026, from https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/cybersecurity-considerations-for-vehicles/.
@techreport{sherman_2015,
author={Sherman, Mark and Palluch, Jens},
title={Cybersecurity Considerations for Vehicles},
month={Dec},
year={2015},
institution={Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University},
url={https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/cybersecurity-considerations-for-vehicles/},
note={Accessed: 2026-Sep-21}
}
Sherman, Mark, and Jens Palluch. "Cybersecurity Considerations for Vehicles." Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University. Software Engineering Institute, December 10, 2015. https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/cybersecurity-considerations-for-vehicles/.
M. Sherman, and J. Palluch, "Cybersecurity Considerations for Vehicles," Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University. Software Engineering Institute, 10-Dec-2015 [Online]. Available: https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/cybersecurity-considerations-for-vehicles/. [Accessed: 21-Sep-2026].
Sherman, Mark, and Jens Palluch. "Cybersecurity Considerations for Vehicles." Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Software Engineering Institute, 10 Dec. 2015. https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/cybersecurity-considerations-for-vehicles/. Accessed 21 Sep. 2026.
Sherman, Mark; & Palluch, Jens. Cybersecurity Considerations for Vehicles. Software Engineering Institute. 2015. https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/cybersecurity-considerations-for-vehicles/