Feb. 20, 2023–Members of the House have introduced legislation that would allow vehicle owners to choose where to have software and network-connected systems in their cars repaired, the Washington Examiner reports.
The legislation, titled the Right to Equitable and Professional Auto Industry Repair (REPAIR) Act, would make it so that if vehicle owners had software in their cars repaired anywhere other than the dealer, they would not face penalties such as having their warranties voided.
Critics of the legislation have said that it could present cybersecurity risks, though some cybersecurity professionals don’t completely agree.
Chris Clymer, chief information security officer of cybersecurity company Inversion6, believes that limiting access to software repair can cause drivers to put it off and put themselves in an even worse situation.
“Many consumers already neglect to update the operating system and other software in their vehicles because most manufacturers require a costly trip to the dealer to make such updates,” Clymer said.
Though opening access to repairs may promote safety, with technology across vehicles differing, manufacturers may be worried about an “uphill court battle when an owner’s tweaks to their automobile or subpar repairs performed by an unaffiliated shop lead to a costly accident, or worse,” as pointed out by Nuspire’s vice president of cybersecurity consulting, Mike Pedrick.
Pedrick suggests that automakers “arm such folks with the tools and knowledge they need” to perform such tasks “safely” and “securely.”
