Toyota organizes a car-hacking event that captivates participating students. We uncovered the important purpose behind the event.
Hacking as a defensive, not only an offensive
In fact, hacking skills competitions such as Hack Festa have been enthusiastically embraced in the cybersecurity domain.
The purpose of the competitions is to foster “ethical hackers” who have mastered the necessary skills and can objectively assess and resolve cybersecurity vulnerabilities.
Tsuyoshi Toyama, a project manager at InfoTech-IS, explains the reasons why Toyota holds such an event.
Tsuyoshi Toyama, Ph.D., Project Manager/Principal Researcher, InfoTech-IS
The term “hacking” is not in itself negative. It also means “to do something ingeniously, to perfect,” as in the phrase “life hack.”
In the cybersecurity field, we make a distinction between “cracking,” which is a malicious act that causes harm, and “hacking,” which means testing with a spirit of technological curiosity to improve cybersecurity.
Although the negative cases have created a biased image, hacking is a skill, one that is gained by devoting time to training your hands and mind.
We need to increase the number of people who want to tap such skills in the auto industry.
For IT students, the auto industry doesn’t spring to mind as a place to hone their skills. It’s not that they’re shying away from us—we’re not even on their radar.
That is why we launched Hack Festa: to show that the auto industry is an option, one that offers a lot of fun in car cybersecurity.
People flourish when they are having fun
The first step toward developing an interest is enjoyment, explains Toyama. That is why Hack Festa is not just a technical event but a competition designed to captivate students.
The team format allows participants to tackle difficult tasks together, while the chance to be crowned winners—by scoring the most points within the time limit—introduces a game element.
Mentors are also assigned to assist teams when they get stuck, allowing them to get completely immersed in the competition. High-fives echo around the room when the students complete a task.
“If we want to nurture talent, we can’t just wait for people to come to us,” says Toyama. “We want to take an interest and connect with students, to show them that the auto industry offers an exciting environment where they can grow.”
When we asked the students, one participant told us, “My research is unrelated to cars, but when I heard that Toyota was running this event, I thought it sounded like fun.”
“I found the challenges around automated driving security particularly interesting,” said another. “I want to explore jobs in related fields.”
Indeed, many past Hack Festa participants have gone on to work in the automotive sector.
“It’s not that we want them all to join Toyota, but we hope they find a place in the auto industry where they can thrive,” adds Toyama.
There is also another fascinating element to Hack Festa, pictured below.
What looks like a metal briefcase is actually the simulator that students use for hacking.
Toyota developed this portable device to contain the functions of a car.
Known by the acronym PASTA, it houses some important secrets.