We have a tendency, in the EV Charging industry, to think first and foremost about electric vehicle technology and focus, largely, on the hardware. While the integrity and functionality of EV charging stations is paramount, reliability and trustworthiness goes beyond hardware. Drivers as well as station owners and hosts must be able to trust charging station security as well as the applications, networks, and transactions that enable charging.
As stakeholders in the industry, EV charging station security should be one of our top priorities. As EV charging station owners, ensuring you’re making the best choice in your solution provider means ensuring security. Ultimately, that means understanding the risks, the threats, and the efforts we can make to mitigate them.
Quick Links
- The Rise of Cybersecurity Threats and Public Connectivity
- EV Charging Station Security Threats
- EV Charging Station Security Challenges
- How to Insure and Improve EV Charging Station Security
The Rise of Cybersecurity Threats and Public Connectivity
It’s no secret that, as the internet has expanded and as the internet of things (IoT) has grown, cybersecurity has become more important than ever. We knew nearly a decade ago that public networks were vulnerable to malicious attacks and offering up your devices to those networks put you, and your data, at risk. And now? Even more aspects of our lives are “connected.”
It’s also no secret that as technology expands, so do the efforts of hackers. Their tactics and strategies evolve, in many cases, more quickly than the technology itself. In fact, cybersecurity experts expect the costs of cybersecurity breaches and hacking to reach $10.5 billion by 2025.
Yet much of our world now relies upon our use of mobile and wireless technology as well as the cloud. And, despite our reliance upon it, there are very real concerns about cloud security, especially when it comes to the “as a service” model. Similarly, there’s a lot of lack of understanding regarding the security of mobile apps, mobile devices, and networked machines, like EV charging stations.
If we’re being realistic, anywhere there is data collected, stored, or transmitted, there’s a cybersecurity risk. When it comes to EV charging infrastructure, there’s a lot to consider from physical tampering with machines and the mobile apps and networks drivers use to cloud applications used for EV charging station platform management systems (CPMS). As EV adoption rates increase, experts worry that EV charging stations will become a more enticing target. For that reason, it’s become more important than ever to understand what companies are doing to protect their networks and their users from cybersecurity threats.
EV Charging Station Security– Threats
In the US, one US charging company was victim of an attack where a hacker was able to hijack the screen of an EV charger and display a politicized message. Similarly, other countries, namely Russia and England, have both experienced EV charging station cyberattacks. Thankfully, there has not been a wide scale attack on EV charging stations in the US, but that doesn’t mean they’re not a target.
Though nuisance attacks, all demonstrate the ability to infiltrate EV charging station networks and, potentially, access networks and user data, typical targets for hackers. Through an unsecured, publicly network connected charger, attackers could, effectively gain access to a CPMS, and aforementioned user data, as well as larger computer networks. That said, attacks could also go after a much larger target.
Because EV charging stations connect to the power grid, there’s an extra incentive to seek pathways in. While a single station is not of much use, a group of networked chargers, hacked and used to overload the grid could cause significant damage and disruption.
In fact, research from the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information has identified and details a wide range of risks to EV charging stations, both remote and local, as well as potential consequences of each type of breach.
From intercepted communications to malware and exploiting security vulnerabilities, the threat to EV charging stations goes beyond simply sharing unwanted or politicized videos, and so it’s vital for station owners to understand not just the risk but also what their EVSE suppliers are doing to secure their stations and networks.
EV Charging Station Security Challenges
So, if we have a big picture sense of the threats, we should be able to prevent any attacks, right? While we understand, as much as we can, about how most cyberattacks happen, we’ve been unable to stop them, in totality, in just about every industry where they run rampant. We have, however, been successful in mitigating the risk by applying strict security standards. The same must be true when it comes to EV infrastructure.
Still, because there are humans along the chain, there will always be risks. Lapses in network security including a failure to update and patch software on public servers running cloud-based management software to weak passwords all along the chain create vulnerabilities. Similarly, a failure to encrypt and secure transmissions between charging apps and networks can expose driver data.
While weak passwords are beyond the control of EVSE suppliers, securing the EVSE network and data transmission is not. This is another area where understanding what your EV charging station provider is doing to maintain a strong security stance across their tech stack and network configuration is essential.
How to Insure and Improve EV Charging Station Security
Obviously, one of the first and most important ways to insure the security of your EV charging stations is to do your due diligence on the company providing your hardware and network. Not only are you looking for a team well versed in the EV charging space, but equally important is expertise and experience in data and technology. A keen understanding of the risks often means greater effort to mitigate them.
That said, you’re also looking for some very specific security measures, both physical and logical, including, but not limited to:
- Cellular network communications from chargers to the cloud that are secured on a private VPN are never exposed to the Internet directly. Encrypted VPN communications not only keep chargers safe from hackers, scanners, and other bad actors, but also keeps sensitive transactional data secure.
- Careful integration between the hardware and the chosen software platform. For example, NovaCHARGE uses custom firmware which runs on each NovaCHARGE charger enabling a much stronger synergy between the charger hardware and the ChargeUP software network on which it is operating. This relationship also makes it possible to squeeze the absolute greatest advantage out of NovaCHARGE’s AI-driven NovaBot, which is capable of additional advanced functionality on devices running firmware that is purpose-built with it in mind.
- Full open-standards support Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP) 1.6 and soon 2.0.1. That means stronger support across all modern EVs, and rapid uptake of emerging technologies without the pitfalls of a proprietary solution. Further, OCPP certification requires its own security standards keeping communications and transmission of data secure.
- Physical security is important too. Charging station enclosures that are National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) and IK rated, preferably NEMA 4 and IK10. Many suppliers use L2 enclosures that are NEMA 3 and IK8 rated, but NEMA 4 adds in protection from hose-directed water. The NEMA 4 test consists of spraying the enclosure with water at 65 gallons per minute from a 1-inch hose. This is a lot more water than the NEMA 3 test requires, which is a water spray at 5 psi. This is critical for longevity in wet climates, particularly those that regularly deal with strong thunderstorms and hurricanes. Similarly, IK10 is the highest measurement rating for protection from physical damage using the international standard IEC 62262 scale. IK10 rated products are protected against 20 joules of impact. IK8 rated products are only protected against 5 joules of impact.
At NovaCHARGE, we take EV charging and EV charging station security seriously. We have approached every aspect of our solution with security, functionality, and reliability in mind. Further, we’ve been forward thinking meaning we’re not just designing solutions that will be obsolete or need replacement in a year. We’re prepared for growth and ready to help you do the same.
Whether you’re looking to improve properties, add amenities, lower NOI, increase ROI, or have a mix of goals that EV charging stations can help you achieve, get in touch with us. We’d love to chat!