Driving the Future: Cybersecurity Challenges for Connected Vehicles with Cheri Caddy

Overview: In this episode, host Frank Cilluffo sits down with Cheri Caddy, former Deputy Assistant National Cyber Director at the White House and senior technical advisor at the Department of Energy. They discuss the cybersecurity challenges surrounding connected vehicles, examining how modern cars are effectively "computers on wheels" and the broader implications for privacy, data security, and national security. Cheri highlights the convergence of IT and OT systems in vehicles, the need for cyber-informed engineering, and the importance of regulatory harmonization in addressing these challenges. Main Topics Covered: Convergence of IT/OT systems in connected vehicles Cybersecurity and privacy risks of modern cars Global supply chain implications for vehicle data security Regulatory harmonization across sectors impacting connected vehicles Future of automation and autonomous vehicles in the cybersecurity landscape Managing cybersecurity at an enterprise level for government and corporate vehicle fleets Key Quotes: "Your car has always been something in your environment, but now it's a computer. It's software-defined, and you have to treat it with all of the cyber implications of being a computer." – Cheri Caddy "There's no cyber problem that's a single sector anymore." – Cheri Caddy "Vehicles are giant sensor platforms recording everything. What are the security implications of taking a connected vehicle on to a sensitive facility? ...I think that is very much an open question.– Cheri Caddy "We need to get [vehicle engineers] to think about cybersecurity at the design phase. Because dealing with bolting on cyber after the fact is, is just not practical.– Cheri Caddy This is just such an interesting area of converging, of all of the exciting cyber things, from supply chain to applied machine learning to data standards and integration. – Cheri Caddy Relevant Links: National Cyber Informed Engineering Strategy Information on vehicle data privacy and cybersecurity from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) https://www.nhtsa.gov/research/vehicle-cybersecurity https://www.nhtsa.gov/press-releases/nhtsa-updates-cybersecurity-best-practices-new-vehicles Guest Bio: Cheri Caddy is a cybersecurity leader with over 30 years of experience in national security, intelligence, and technical advisory roles. She has served as the Deputy Assistant National Cyber Director at the White House, as well as a senior advisor at the Department of Energy. Caddy's expertise lies in bridging policy and technical innovation, particularly in IT/OT convergence and secure-by-design engineering for critical infrastructure.