AI doubled auto industry cyberattacks
TL;DR
The automotive industry's adoption of AI has led to a doubling of cyberattacks in 2025, with ransom incidents making up 44% of cases. This surge is driven by expanded APIs and AI-based vehicle systems, alongside more sophisticated threats.
Source: Wards Auto
The automotive industry’s early adoption of artificial intelligence has opened it to a sharp spike in cyberattacks. That’s the finding of cybersecurity specialist Upstream in its 2026 Global Automotive and Smart Mobility Cybersecurity Report. The report found that cybersecurity attacks targeting automotive and smart mobility organizations more than doubled in 2025. According to Upstream, ransom-related cyberattacks accounted for 44 percent of all incidents, which is twice the number reported in 2024. The report concluded that the rise in cybersecurity threats is being driven by the rapid expansion of application programming interfaces (APIs) and AI-driven, software-based vehicle architectures, combined with the increased sophistication being used by organized threat actors. Full Story