OWASP Automotive Security — Automotive Security Project

Why it Matters

OWASP Automotive Security enables organizations to proactively address cybersecurity risks in connected vehicles and streamline compliance with industry and regulatory expectations.

Key benefits include:

• Improve security oversight

Establish consistent processes for identifying, assessing, and mitigating cyber threats throughout automotive product development lifecycles.

• Support regulatory compliance

Align organizational practices with emerging industry standards and regulations to streamline audits and evidence defensible due diligence.

• Enhance threat detection capabilities

Facilitate earlier identification of cyber risks and vulnerabilities in vehicle networks and software components.

• Strengthen data protection practices

Help safeguard sensitive information managed or transmitted by connected vehicles, reducing exposure to data breaches and theft.

• Promote operational resilience

Reduce the risk of service disruptions, safety incidents, or costly recalls resulting from cyberattacks or security weaknesses.

How it Works

The OWASP Automotive Security Project structures guidance around a set of automotive-specific security principles, control catalogs, and lifecycle processes tailored to the unique risks in connected vehicles and automotive systems. The framework addresses governance domains such as secure architecture, communication, software updates, and supply chain security, while mapping known automotive threats to relevant security controls. It also establishes attack surface analyses and provides recommendations for integrating security from initial design through decommissioning phases.

Organizations implement the OWASP Automotive Security framework by conducting risk assessments specific to automotive components, applying recommended security controls to connected vehicle interfaces, and mapping control requirements to regulatory obligations such as UN R155 and ISO/SAE 21434. Implementation activities often include continuous monitoring of in-vehicle networks, performing vulnerability assessments, validating secure update mechanisms, and aligning security programs with governance and compliance objectives specific to the automotive sector.

Through SmartSuite, companies can operationalize OWASP Automotive Security by leveraging control libraries for automotive security practices, maintaining risk registers for component vulnerabilities, and managing policy governance across vehicle platforms. The platform supports collecting compliance evidence, tracking regulatory requirements, coordinating remediation workflows, and utilizing reporting dashboards for ongoing audit readiness and program oversight.

Key Elements

• Automotive Threat Landscape Mapping

Describes categories of cyber threats and attack vectors relevant to connected vehicles and automotive systems.

• Security Control Families

Organizes recommended security measures into thematic groups, such as authentication, encryption, and intrusion detection.

• Risk Assessment Processes

Establishes methods for evaluating and prioritizing cybersecurity risks across automotive technologies and components.

• Secure Development Lifecycle

Defines structured phases and required security considerations throughout automotive software and hardware development.

• In-Vehicle Network Protection

Specifies architectural layers and measures for safeguarding internal vehicular communications and data exchanges.

• Privacy and Data Protection

Outlines domains focused on handling, storing, and transmitting sensitive personal data within automotive environments.

• Compliance and Assurance Framework

Describes components supporting evidence generation, regulatory alignment, and ongoing cybersecurity program validation.

Framework Scope

OWASP Automotive Security is used by automotive manufacturers, suppliers, and technology providers involved in developing connected vehicles and in-vehicle systems. The framework governs embedded software, vehicle networks, and telematics environments, and is typically adopted to identify cyber risks, implement security controls, and support cybersecurity governance and regulatory compliance efforts across the automotive sector.

Framework Objectives

OWASP Automotive Security provides a comprehensive approach to managing cybersecurity risks in automotive systems.

Reduce cybersecurity risk in connected vehicles and automotive software components

Strengthen governance and oversight of automotive cybersecurity programs

Establish baseline security controls aligned with industry best practices

Enhance risk management processes for emerging automotive threats and vulnerabilities

Support regulatory compliance and demonstrate cybersecurity due diligence

Improve data protection and privacy for in-vehicle networks and user information

Framework in Context

OWASP Automotive Security provides practical guidance and testing methods that complement ISO/SAE 21434 and SAE J3061 and can be mapped to broader controls frameworks like NIST CSF or ISO/IEC 27001. Organizations use it to operationalize automotive cybersecurity practices for regulatory compliance (e.g., UN R155), secure development, governance, and supplier assessments.

Common Framework Mappings

Organizations map OWASP Automotive Security to complementary national and industry standards to harmonize risk management, evidence collection, and regulatory compliance across vehicle safety, cybersecurity engineering, and enterprise programs.

Mapped frameworks include:

CIS Critical Security Controls

ISO 26262

ISO/SAE 21434

ISO/IEC 27001

NIST Cybersecurity Framework

NIST Special Publication 800-53

SAE J3061

UN Regulation No. 155 (R155)