A major Norwegian public transport operator has said it will introduce stricter security requirements and increase measures against "hacking" after a test on new electric buses made in China showed the manufacturer could turn them off remotely.
Transport operator Ruter said test results published last week showed that Chinese bus manufacturer Yutong Group had access to their control systems for software updates and diagnostics, foreign media wrote, according to Telegraph.
"In theory, this could be exploited to influence the bus," she said.
The Guardian newspaper, which reported on the matter, cited a statement from the Chinese company that said it "strictly complies" with the laws and regulations of the countries where its vehicles operate.
The statement said that data regarding its buses was stored in Germany.
The newspaper quoted an unnamed Yutong spokesperson as saying the data is encrypted and "used only for vehicle-related maintenance, optimization and improvement to meet customers' after-sales service needs."
According to Yutong's website, the company has sold tens of thousands of vehicles across Europe, Africa, Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region in recent decades.
The study was initiated in part because of concerns about surveillance, at a time when many countries in Europe, North America and beyond have taken steps to protect data about consumers and remote operations.
The findings showed that "the manufacturer has direct digital access to each individual bus for software updates and diagnostics," said Ruter, which says it runs half of Norway's public transport and operates in Oslo and the eastern region of Akershus.
In neighboring Denmark, transport company Movia said it was reviewing risk assessments when it comes to cybersecurity and espionage on scheduled buses, as well as possible measures to prevent hacking, data misuse and the risks of bus deactivation. /Telegraph/
