The Managing Director of Puddy Vehicle Solutions (PVS), Marcus Puddy has been warning fleet managers against signing up to long-term telematics contracts. It is thought that the âplug and playâ technology, plugged into a vehicle’sâ onboard diagnostic-II, or OBD port are expected to shortly become obsolete.
It was first made known to the industry that there were risks to security caused by the OBD-II Port when the access point regularly used by telematics devices was accessed by hackers who managed to gain control of a Jeep by using a plug-in dongle that has mobile connectivity capabilities.
In order to protect vehicles against this type of threat, Marcus Puddy believes that the upcoming implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation, due in next year will lead to a removal of the port all together. Marcus has advised fleet managers and their colleagues to enforce more safeguards, policies and procedures to ensure the robust deletion of information from the in-car connected systems.
To begin with, the OBD-II Port was used by mechanics as an access point. Now this port is more commonly used for the installation of plug-in aftermarket devices, such as âtrack and traceâ telematics systems.
Also the increase in vehicle connectivity and the concerns that are growing around the use of âbig dataâ, it is thought that there will be more security risks for vehicles regarding data protection. The General Data Protection Regulation is expected to come into force on May the 25th 2018. After this, it is thought that automotive manufacturers will start to phase out the OBD-II Port, and make it obsolete. As more and more manufacturing companies do this, the plug-in telematics solutions will become unusable. Therefore, Marcus has warned companies against signing up to long-term contracts for this type of telematics solution, as it could be a waste of money if the port is removed from vehicles.
Marcus Puddy has a 30-year careerâs worth of experience, and is the Managing Director of one of the most experienced fleet consultant in the UK.
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