Systems Design Engineering PhD candidate Fan He is investigating how autonomous vehicle (AV) users can respond better to potential cyberattacks — an increasing risk as vehicles become more technologically advanced.
He plans to develop strategies and infrastructure that meet changing road safety requirements and is realizing her ambitions thanks to support from the Maks Wulkan Graduate Scholarship.
“New cars are already packed with potentially exploitable technologies and fully autonomous vehicles will be especially vulnerable,” said He. “The malicious infiltration of a car’s computer system could affect its critical functions and cause accidents, putting all road users at risk.”
According to He, this shift requires a connected network of cybersecurity operation centres with data analysts devising preventative interventions and experts at the ready to assist people in automated vehicles during a cyberattack.
He’s research is a collaborative project with her colleagues in Waterloo’s Advanced Interface Design Lab and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. It is made possible thanks to the Maks Wulkan Graduate Scholarship established by Waterloo Engineering alum Maks Wulkan (BASc ’75).
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