EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Vehicles already developed with internet connectivity represent a “fair bit of risk,” BlackBerry global data protection officer Nader Henein (pictured) told Mobile World Live.

Speaking at the GSMA M360 Privacy and Security event in The Hague, Henein said existing connected vehicles may have unresolved security issues, which his company is working with the car manufacturers to solve.

“These vehicles functioned as islands for a long time, then a lot of controls in them became automated, so when you push on the brakes it’s no longer a mechanical response there’s an embedded control unit that effectively presses on the brakes for you. That became a computer later on,” he explained.

“When you connected the vehicle to the internet, effectively you built large remote control vehicles – those things put you at risk.

“The vehicles that became connected over the last decade represent a fair bit of risk right now.”

To view the full interview, covering data privacy regulations and securing the IoT, click here.