The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Transportation (DoT) joined forces to create a cybersecurity implementation and operational primer to secure federal vehicle fleets.
Executive Order (EO) 13693, also known as “Planning for Federal Sustainability in the Next Decade” was issued in March 2015 and requires all federal fleet managers to implement telematics systems for all their vehicles, according to a May 15 press release.
The DHS Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) and the DoT's Volpe Center joined forces to develop a tool to assist fleet managers to achieve this goal by designing telematics to collect and utilize data concerning fuel consumption, emissions, maintenance, utilization, idling, speed and location data.
The Volpe Center also developed the “Telematics Cybersecurity Primer for Agencies,” to provide fleet managers at the Customs and Borders Protection, Federal Bureau of Investigation, military, federal and state law enforcement agencies, and other federal agencies essential guidelines they need to safeguard vehicle telematics from cyberattack.
The cybersecurity primer stresses that implementing this protection involves the protection of communications, device firmware, actions on devices, and the integrity of devices.
“Ensuring the security of agency information technology systems should always remain a high priority,” the primer stated. “To meet this goal, government agencies must be especially diligent in ensuring the IA [information assurance] posture of all systems inherent in, or incorporated into vehicles, products, and services that are part of the Fleet Management Information System.”
The telematics cybersecurity primer is a continuation of an overarching interagency cooperative effort by joint agencies to promote automotive cybersecurity best practices and guidelines in the private sector and government.
