Over-the-Air Software Updates Pose Risks to Vehicles

eSync Alliance Chair Shrikant Acharya on How Standardization Can Prevent Breaches Brian Pereira (creed_digital) • January 19, 2026

Over-the-air updates are an irreplaceable part of software-defined vehicles, giving manufacturers a convenient way of remotely fixing and upgrading vehicles. If not appropriately secured, over-the-air updates can become a gateway for data theft, malware injection, vehicle theft and even injury.

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Automobile manufacturers tend to stick with legacy systems and components such as the controller area network, or CAN bus, which predates modern security protocols. With vehicles now using CAN bus technology to connect to the cloud, creating new vulnerabilities. It's time for the industry to adopt standards for over-the-air updates, said Shrikant Acharya, chair of the eSync Alliance and co-founder and CTO at Excelfore Corporation.

"Everyone is developing their own OTA systems, so there's a lack of standards. That's ...