With a vision to secure the vehicles of tomorrow, VicOne offers a broad portfolio of cybersecurity software and services for the automotive industry. Their solutions are specifically designed to meet the stringent requirements of automotive manufacturers and are engineered to meet the unique needs of modern vehicles. As a subsidiary of Trend Micro, VicOne is built on a solid foundation in cybersecurity resulting from Trend Micro’s 30+ years of experience in the industry.
Interview with Andrew Kolisnyk, Head of Business Development Automotive Europe at VicOne.
Easy Engineering: A brief description of the company and its activities.
Andrew Kolisnyk: VicOne understands that automotive is a very different industry with a closed ecosystem and has its own architecture, version of operation system, and ecosystem. Thus, we have a separate team with automotive industry expertise to create the best-fit solutions for automotive cybersecurity. We currently have offices in Taiwan, Japan, Korea, the United States, Germany and Ireland, and we will expand our physical footprint as the market and company grows. For more information, please visit vicone.com.
E.E: What are the main areas of activity of the company?
A.K: VicOne’s suite of automotive cybersecurity solutions provides car manufacturers and system suppliers with complete cybersecurity protection, from initial design to software update services and security penetration testing. It covers the five aspects of protection — threat identification, detection, analysis, response, and recovery — and manages the vehicle security operation center (VSOC) through a single integrated platform. By monitoring, correlating, and visualizing cyberthreats comprehensively and in real time, VicOne positions itself as an ideal partner for building connected vehicle security strategies and solutions. We are focused on strengthening the global competitiveness of the world’s automotive supply chain and helping it gain a foothold in the future connected car market by meeting the vehicle cybersecurity specifications required of international automakers.
E.E: What’s the news about new products/services?
A.K: Our Smart Cockpit cybersecurity solutions provide automakers with a solid cybersecurity foundation to allow them to create a personalized user experience while protecting car users’ personal data & vehicle.
With VicOne’s future-proof smart cockpit cybersecurity solution, OEMs can mitigate potential risks by providing exceptional multilayered cybersecurity protection from the system level (e.g., electronic control units) to the application level (e.g., in-vehicle infotainment apps). Our solutions are backed by continuous threat intelligence, keeping the smart cockpit ahead of imminent threats.
VicOne’s cybersecurity system for smart cockpit detects malware and vulnerability which could cause damage of the system and data lose, e.g. manipulate GPS signals to give false information to a vehicle’s navigation system, potentially leading to unsafe driving conditions or accidents. It can monitor application’s suspicious behavior or communication with remote server and alert user before further impact.
E.E: What are the ranges of products/services?
A.K: VicOne offers broad-based solutions for the entire value chain and thus our cybersecurity solutions support a vehicle’s whole life cycle. These help automotive stakeholders protect manufacturing processes, reinforce supply chain systems, and comply with industry regulations.
Our customers and partners profit from our future-ready and end-to-end vehicle protection. VicOne’s extensive automotive cybersecurity solutions enable connected car stakeholders to always be ahead of current and emergent threats.
In addition, we are an essential partner in security for all branches of the automotive industry. VicOne’s partnerships with OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers yield a future-oriented compliance strategy that exceeds the minimum requirements set by standards and regulatory bodies. We offer cybersecurity solutions driven by automotive foresight.
E.E: What is the state of the market where you are currently active?
A.K: VicOne mainly serves its customers in the automotive core markets in the USA, Europe, Japan and Taiwan. But thanks to the support and infrastructure of TrendMicro and competent partners, we are able to support our customers worldwide. In doing so, we work with renowned partners such as Panasonic, Hitachi Astemo, DEKRA, Delta, AWS, P3, Trustonic, 42Crunch, Itemis or Tier IV as well as with established industry organisations such as AutoISAC and ASRG as well as others. Amid ongoing world-wide expansion of the automotive cybersecurity sector, VicOne’s closer proximity to the world-leading European auto industry is a win-win, bringing benefits to VicOne and also positioning us to provide stronger support. Some of the most well-known automotive OEMs rely on VicOne’s solutions and systems.
E.E: What can you tell us about market trends?
A.K: The rapid uptake of connected vehicles across global markets has increased OEMs’ risk of significant brand and financial damage with the growth of updatable vehicle functions controlled by software. Thus, cybersecurity is an increasing priority for automakers driven by the growing surface area susceptible to attack. Our new„Automotive Cyberthreat Landscape Report 2023” reveals growing automotive data exploitation, as the industry examines cyberattacks and security measures and identfied the supply chain as major source of growth in automotive cyberattacks .
The comprehensive report identifies a growth in usage and monetization of automotive data—and, in turn, threat of exploitation by cybercriminals. It comes to the conclusion that defending systems against cyberattacks is no longer just about securing an individual firm; it is about strengthening the entire supply chain. Industry losses are growing from cyberattacks such as ransomware and exposure of leaked data or personally identifiable information (PII), as well as costs associated with system downtime. Another hot trend is the protection of Smart Cockpit solutions leveraging AI/LLM.
E.E: What are the most innovative products/services marketed?
A.K: VicOne brings customized services to European automakers with specialized understanding of the evolving automotive industry and deep-rooted knowledge. Currently we market four high-performing cybersecurity solutions for the automotive industry:
- xNexus – a precise next-gen vehicle Security Operations Center (VSOC) platform
- xCarbon – a frictionless on-board intrusion detection or prevention system (IDS/IPS)
- xZeta – a superior automotive vulnerability and software bill of material (SBOM) management system
- EV Charging System Protection – securing your EV Charging systems by monitoring for
software vulnerabilities and ensuring attack resilience
In order to match market trends like AI, we have upgrated our portfolio with products like the VicAI actionable intelligence (Chatbot) integration for our VMS xZeta and VSOC xNexus platforms. In addition, we have started collaborations with 3rd party vendors like with TARA, API and TEE vendors. Furthermore, we collaborate with the Automotive Security Research Group (ASRG) to deliver the most comprehensive coverage of automotive threat intelligence. Together we initiated AutoVulnDB, a dedicated database for automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), suppliers and other players in the industry to discover and fix cybersecurity vulnerabilities and secure the future of connected-car mobility.
E.E: What estimations do you have for 2024?
A.K: Our slogan is „Driving automotive security forward”. Cybersecurity plays not only a critical role but also a MUST component in “New Mobility”. Therefore, we see a tremendous opportunity for the next 10 to 20 years. Our short-term (in the next 5 years) goal is to win 10% market share of this “New Mobility”. We will mainly focus on two areas, car OEMs and suppliers around the world. Therefore, we have established 4 centers of excellence in automotive cybersecurity to serve customers in Europe, Japan, the USA, and Taiwan.
We will continue promoting our Strategic Partnership Program to help companies in Europe’s automotive supply chain meet international cybersecurity requirements with minimal impact to budget, labor, and business continuity. Industry partners that have joined VicOne’s Strategic Partnership Program include Arm, Microsoft, Wistron, Delta Electronics, and the MIH Open Electric Vehicle Alliance. We will keep on establishing strategic partnerships in a very short timeframe like we did with leading global companies, including: Askey, Clientron, DFI, Inventec, NXP Semiconductors, Panasonic Automotive Systems and TomTom – to name a few.