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Safety tests of public transportation in Norway have revealed that electric buses can be accessed and controlled remotely by their Chinese manufacturers.
A Norwegian bus company conducted secret tests comparing buses made by European and Chinese manufacturers to discover whether the vehicles posed a cybersecurity threat.
No issues were flagged with the European bus, but it was discovered that the Chinese vehicle, made by a firm called Yutong, could be remotely manipulated by the manufacturer.
This manipulation included the ability to access the bus’s software, diagnostics and battery system. The Chinese manufacturer had the ability to stop or immobilise the vehicle.
Arild Tjomsland, an academic who assisted with the tests, emphasized the risks: “The Chinese bus can be stopped, turned off, or receive updates that can destroy the technology that the bus needs to operate normally.”
Tjomsland went on to say that although hackers or suppliers are unable to steer the buses, the ability to stop them could be used to disrupt operations or to provide leverage over the Norwegian government during a crisis.
Concerns about Chinese vehicles have been widespread. Think thanks have warned that electric vehicles could easily be “weaponised” by Beijing.
Chinese companies have been roadtesting their vehicles in the US, collecting data, including roadmaps, that experts believe could be of strategic use.
The results of the testing have now been referred to officials at the Ministry of Transport and Communication in Norway.
