U.S. automaker General Motors (GM) has appointed one of its engineers as the company's first chief of cyber security, Reuters reported.
Former manager Jeff Massimilla will be responsible for monitoring the electrical components of the company's cars.
According to Mark Reuss, GM's vice president for global product development, the appointment of Massimilla is part of the company's strategy to address the growing concern regarding cyber attacks.
"If you look at the technology, as we put semi-autonomous and autonomous systems into vehicles, we have to be able to look at this at a very, very critical systems level and do it defect-free for the customer," Reuss explained.
"So that's the competitive we're trying to really put in place for General Motors," the executive added.
Analyst Egil Juliussen of IHS Automotive believes the creation of GM's first head of cyber security position is a step that other members of the auto industry should follow.
"The long-term trend is that auto manufacturers will have to make security part of the hardware and software architecture," he said. "It won't make it impossible to hack, but it will make it hard enough so that there is no financial gain to do the hacking."
In August, two security researchers, Chris Valasek and Charlie Miller, released a list of the most hackable cars. The 2014 Jeep Cherokee and 2015 Cadillac Escalade topped the list as the most vulnerable vehicles, the Daily Mail has learned.
According to Valasek and Miller, technological advancements have allowed auto manufacturers to include tiny computers inside vehicles. Through intricate systems, these computers control a variety of functions such as brakes, engine performance, navigation, steering and audio features.
Although these were installed to enhance the safety features of vehicles, the computer networks can be hacked and used against car owners.
"Automotive security concerns have gone from the fringe to the mainstream with security researchers showing the susceptibility of the modern vehicle to local and remote attacks," Valasek and Miller stated in their report.
"A malicious attacker leveraging a remote vulnerability could do anything from enabling a microphone for eavesdropping to turning the steering wheel to disabling the brakes," they added.
Previously, GM and other carmakers received an open letter from hackers informing them about the importance of implementing security procedures to protect cars from cyber attacks, according to Economic Times.
