GoKawiilA charging port is seen on a Mercedes Benz EQC 400 4Matic electric vehicle at the Canadian International AutoShow in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, February 13, 2019.
The automotive industry's increasing use of over-the-air technology to update vehicle systems makes it more susceptible to cyberattacks, analysts say, urging more intervention in the sector.
OTA technology is wireless tech that can deliver new software, firmware, fixes and data to internet-connected devices.
Tesla began deploying over-the-air updates to its Model S vehicles in 2012. This helped normalize the tech, according to Jason Van der Schyff, a fellow of cyber, technology and security at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, who noted it is now embedded across much of the automotive sector.
"The technology is increasingly welcomed as it is a quick and cost-effective way to manage systems on vehicles, over traditional methods which may have required a recall or update at routine maintenance," Siraj Ahmed Shaikh, professor in systems security at Swansea University in the U.K, told CNBC.
The growing penetration of OTA technology in the auto industry has raised concerns, however, particularly regarding transportation infrastructure.
Its use represents "a unique national security concern," Gabriel Lim, senior analyst at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, told CNBC.
"Aside from data privacy concerns, the potential of a foreign actor sabotaging the controls of a moving vehicle is a possibility that countries like Norway, Denmark, and Britain have expressed concerns about," Lim added.
In May, the American Enterprise Institute warned that safeguarding the automotive sector was crucial to limit foreign governments' espionage capabilities.
"To protect against foreign espionage threats, the US should consider additional security reviews, implement restrictions on certain foreign-made hardware and software in vehicles, and mandate increased data-collection disclosures," the report said.