As automakers and technology firms continue their quest to develop a viable autonomous vehicle, digital automotive security experts are trying to figure out how to prevent hackers from penetrating the vehicle’s computer area network (CAN).

“While most automakers now install gateways between a driver’s systems and the car’s CAN network, repeated hacks of Jeeps and Teslas have shown that with enough skill and patience, hackers can bypass those gateways,” Nicole Perlroth explains in a New York Times article. “And the challenge of securing driverless cars only gets messier as automakers figure out how to design an autonomous car that can safely communicate with other vehicles through so-called V2V, or vehicle-to-vehicle, communication.”

Other concerns include the security of vehicle-to-infrastructure communications, which would allow police officers to automatically enforce speed limits in construction zones or near schools.

“Given the years-long lag time from car design to production, security researchers are also concerned about the shelf life of software deeply embedded in a car, which may no longer be supported, or patched, by the time the car makes it out of the lot,” Perlroth says.

For more, read “Electronic Setup of Driverless Cars Vulnerable to Hackers.”