Automotive Software Security Vulnerability Analysis with a Hackathon: A Design Science Study

Abstract: Today's vehicles are more innovative and connected than ever and will continue to be so as innovation in the automotive industry keeps moving forward. With this connectivity, remote vehicle hacking becomes a greater threat as it has been proven as a capable approach of altering the functions of a vehicle in motion. This threat creates a heightened concern in the software security development of vehicles. This study will attempt to introduce an additional platform, to the already used in-house penetration testing, for detecting software security vulnerabilities through a hackathon in collaboration with the HoliSec project conducted by the Viktoria Institute. Through a qualitative design science approach and completion of two regulative cycle iterations, artifacts and templates for setting up a hackathon for software security vulnerability detection in the automotive domain were designed, constructed and evaluated.