A nonprofit publication of the Kentucky Center for Public Service Journalism

Keven Moore: In-vehicle infotainment systems are elaborate features, but also full of risks


As our personal vehicles become more and more like the futuristic version of George Jetson’s flying car, many of us have grown to appreciate the in-vehicle infotainment system (IVIS) functions — such as navigation features and voice commands to send text messages, make phone calls or check social media postings.

However, with any new technology these new IVIS systems come with a high degree of risks that many drivers may or may not be so aware of while the utilizing these features.

Growing up in my generation we had our very own distractions, from clip-on drink holders, to ejecting and flipping cassette tapes over into our Pioneer stereo systems, to reading paper-folded maps with one eye on the map and the other on the road as we attempted to navigate our way through unfamiliar territories at 55 MPH. We didn’t have a personal assistance named Siri to talk us through our distractions and if you were like me, half of my dashboard features in my car didn’t even work.

However, today’s new car IVIS systems come with a suite of features that are distracting drivers as they multitask while behind the wheel. While many of these IVIS systems come with functions, the passenger should interact with them, not the driver.

There’s evidence that suggests that with the increase in technology being added to your vehicle, that it is creating dangerous distractions. Safety professionals are worried about drivers being distracted by their phones, but today they are just as concerned that evolving vehicle touchscreens have made the risk even worse.

The other concern that this IVIS pose is the concern for privacy issues. As many of you start to make arrangements for your Christmas travel plans this holiday season, many of you will rely on rental cars to reach their destinations. To access that rental car’s hands-free calls, stream music, and even access the internet — you will have to connect into that vehicles IVIS infotainment system first. Then, when you turn in the rental vehicle, your data is still kept in the vehicle.

When your iPhone or Android smartphone connects to cars by Bluetooth or USB, it leaves a trail of personal information behind. If you sync your mobile phone to a rental car, you open yourself up to having your personal information stolen, making it possible for an unauthorized person to gain access to things like phone books, call logs, photos, text messages, social media feeds, home address and the code for your garage door opener.

There are currently no industry or government standards for vehicle infotainment systems, but the first step to safeguarding your personal data is to know the type of information an infotainment system may store.
Security experts all agree that the IVIS technology was created in a rush to meet the demands of the consumers without much concern for security engineering.

According to an article in Motherboard.com, IVIS systems are a hacker’s paradise and are more powerful than most embedded devices, including home routers. The software design choices for these IVIS systems were driven by convenience, like the storing of unencrypted user sensitive data indefinitely instead of requesting it again from the phone when the device is in proximity.

It is often difficult to find out how to remove your personal information from your personal car, and when you sell your vehicle all that stored data will be passed on to the new owner unless you have it deleted. For example, when a friend of mine bought a used vehicle, the previous owners stored heavy metal playlists were still on the vehicle, and so was the previous owner’s home address and many of his recent destinations.

Like with any problem in today’s tech-savvy society, there comes an App for that. A new app called Privacy4Cars claims to erases personal data from most IVIS connected vehicles cars. It was created to help removes data from infotainment systems form rental cars, car sharing programs or even when a vehicle is sold.

To help reduce this data breach risk here are a few additional tips that drivers can follow:

• Purchase a phone charger for your phone that plugs into the cigarette lighter adapter port rather than the USB port. The lighter adapter port does not access your information.

• Use your phone’s GPS without syncing up with the rental car’s IVIS.

• Check your phone’s permissions to learn what information your car can access. When syncing your phone, if your infotainment systems allow you to choose which types of information you share, restrict it to only what’s necessary. For instance, if you’re only syncing your phone to play music, the car only needs access to your music library, not your personal contacts or other data.

• Before handing your keys over to a valet, check to see if your car’s infotainment system has a valet mode you can set that will protect your sensitive data.

• Before trading in your car or returning a rental car, go to the settings menu on the car’s infotainment system to find a list of synced devices. When you find your devices, follow the prompts to delete them. If you can’t figure out how to do this, check the owner’s manual or an online tutorial.

Be Safe, My Friends

Keven Moore works in risk management services. He has a bachelor’s degree from University of Kentucky, a master’s from Eastern Kentucky University and 25-plus years of experience in the safety and insurance profession. He is also an expert witness. He lives in Lexington with his family and works out of both Lexington and Northern Kentucky. Keven can be reached at kmoore@roeding.com.


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