Connected cars: security risks and the driving forces behind a business that already accounts for 40 per cent of a vehicle’s value Connected cars move and operate in a way that generates a data economy and raises the major issue of cybersecurity: security risks and opportunities for a multi-billion-euro business for consumers and European industry, including Italian and Mediterranean industries Key points From purely mechanical objects made up of pistons and a few electronic circuit boards to connected mobility systems based on processors, sensors and cloud-based data exchange – not only for operation but also for production, maintenance and the provision of services: in less than twenty years, cars have become veritable sensors and bidirectional data gateways constantly on the move across the country, which, in turn, map their surroundings using cameras and GPS. As a direct consequence, not only are the business models of those who sell them changing, but also the habits of those who use them – drivers and passengers – and therefore also the cybersecurity and physical security parameters that need to be considered and enforced, with full awareness of what is at stake. It is no coincidence that on 21 August, the manager of Lexus in Australia stated quite openly that the privacy of car data and the way it is processed must be given equal importance to that of physical security. Both the political sphere and the manufacturers’ associations have been taking action for some time, and whilst regulatory responses are being organised, the automotive world has adopted the pace of evolution from the IT sector in the areas of maintenance, fleet management and the sale of services. One example is ‘remote’ vehicle updates (so-called Over-The-Air updates), which, according to industry studies, cost manufacturers a tenth of the price of traditional updates; these are