BlackBerry launches Jarvis, a cybersecurity software for self-driving cars

BlackBerry has launched a cybersecurity software called Jarvis aimed at protecting autonomous cars. Jarvis identifies vulnerabilities in software used in cars. The firm said that Jarvis scans and delivers insights in minutes, a process that would otherwise take a large number of experts and a lot of time.

BlackBerry said it had already tested Jarvis with automaker Tata Motors’ Jaguar Land Rover unit, whose chief executive said Jarvis reduced the time needed to assess code from 30 days to seven minutes.

John Chen, the CEO, BlackBerry, said, "Connected and autonomous vehicles require some of the most complex software ever developed, creating a significant challenge for automakers who must ensure the code complies with industry and manufacturer-specific standards while simultaneously battle-hardening a very large and tempting attack surface for cyber-criminals."

“Jarvis is a game-changer for OEMs...a near real-time view into the security posture of a vehicle’s entire code base and the insights and deep learning to predict and fix vulnerabilities, ensure compliance, and remain a step ahead of bad actors.” -@JohnChen #NAIAS #NAIAS2018

— BlackBerry (@BlackBerry) January 15, 2018

BlackBerry will be offering Jarvis' services on a pay-as-you-go basis and customize it as per the needs of the manufacturer. The manufacturer can scan the software in the car at all stages of production. If a flaw is detected, Jarvis immediately sends an alert with an accompanying recommendation.

Co-incidentally, Jarvis is also the name of the virtual assistant used by Tony Stark in Marvel Studio's Iron Man film series (where Jarvis stands for Just A Rather Very Intelligent System).