Blackberry’s Jarvis is a self-driving car security defender
IRON MAN FAN Blackberry has launched cybersecurity software for self-driving cars dubbed Jarvis, designed to keep hackers from hijacking autonomous vehicles.
Jarvis will be offered to car makers as a pay-as-you-go service, which they can use to alleviate some of the concerns that fleets of driverless cars zipping along public roads make tantalising targets for hobby hackers and pro cyber crooks alike.
Jarvis works by scanning all the software components in autonomous cars in real-time, sniffing out any vulnerabilities and prodding car makers to fix them before they get pried open by hackers.
«Connected and autonomous vehicles require some of the most complex software ever developed, creating a significant challenge for automakers who must ensure the code complies with industry and manufacturer-specific standards while simultaneously battle-hardening a very large and tempting attack surface for cybercriminals,» said Blackberry’s chief executive John Chen.
«Jarvis is a game-changer for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) because for the first time, they have a complete, consistent, and near real-time view into the security posture of a vehicle’s entire code base.»
That some confidence from Chen right there, but the company has got some big names in the world of cars on its roster, including Jaguar Land Rover which is currently trialling Jarvis.
But because Blackberry rather made a mess of its smartphone prowess, failing to keep enterprising rappers from sticking with BBM when Apple came along waving its iPhones and iMessage, Blackberry will be looking at potentially pushing Jarvis into the healthcare and industrial sectors.
Blackberry is very much a software company these days with a heavy focus on security services. While Blackberry branded phones are still around there are no longer manufactured by the company.
And to be honest, we reckon Blackberry is better off sticking with software and offering other services that can slide into cars and the phones of other firms as we haven’t really seen a properly impressive Blackberry phone in years . µ
