Check Point Software researchers have warned that green travel initiatives may be held back while electric vehicle (EV) charging point cybersecurity is overlooked.

The cybersecurity specialists highlighted the cyber threats that come with EV charging points and warned they may delay the wider adoption of the technology.

Governments around the world are pushing the move to greener technologies to combat climate change and reduce their reliance on hydrocarbons. For example, Norway has built a network of 17,000 charging points, while the US Department of Transportation recently announced a $5 billion plan to create a new network of EV charging stations.

Additionally, Amazon also recently announced it is set to up its electric fleet across the UK and continent over the next five years.

However, while automotive companies are ramping up production of new EVs, Check Point claimed the industry is not doing enough to deal with cybersecurity concerns around, what are essentially, IoT devices.

Cybersecurity concerns

When users charge their vehicles, there is a data connection between it and the EV hub. Charging stations are connected to the internet and, like any other IoT device, are vulnerable to the actions of cybercriminals.

If a threat actor can gain access to a charging hub this could have serious consequences including:

• Risk to User Safety: A hacker could access a vehicle’s engine management system and either compromise safety, performance or disable the vehicle.
• Compromise the EV Charging Network: Hackers could knock out an entire network of charging hubs by taking advantage of just one vulnerability in one device.
• Commercial loss: Hackers could access the operator’s management software and drop ransomware with consequent financial and reputational damage.
• Payment systems: Threat actors could potentially compromise the payment system at an EV hub, leading to financial loss for the driver or the network operator.

Check Point Research recently reported a 59% global increase in ransomware attacks alone, while the UK’s transportation industry experienced an average of 979 cyberattacks a week over the last six months.

As a result, it won’t be long until the potential to exploit EV charging stations is noted, so it is pivotal that newer, greener technologies are protected, Check Point researchers said.

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Muhammad Yahya Patel, Security Evangelist at Check Point, commented: “Climate change and the need to reduce our dependence on oil underline the imperative to migrate to greener forms of transportation.

“Concerns over cybersecurity could be another obstacle to the future growth of the electric vehicle market, so it’s vital that the industry takes the threat seriously.

“Unsecured charging devices are an open door to increasingly sophisticated threat actors and yet there are proven IoT, OT and infrastructure security solutions out there that could prevent such attacks and further encourage the development of sustainable travel.”

UK adoption

Figures released by the Department of Transport in May this year revealed that UK electric vehicle rollout has more than doubled.

Stats have shown that currently, EV registration numbers in the north of England rose to 74,677 in 2021.

More than a quarter of a million EVs now travel on UK roads and sales of plug-in vehicles have reached all-time highs, rising 77% compared to 2020, with 327,000 registrations in 2021.

Back in late September, it was announced that 81 new chargers (141 charging bays) were being installed and are now live across Scotland’s capital designed to encourage and support the take-up of cleaner, low emission transport.

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