THE National Motor Freight Traffic Association (NMFTA) revealed at the Black Hat USA 2026 conference that a 2024 safety recall for Bendix’s EC80 heavy-truck brake controller also addressed crucial cybersecurity vulnerabilities. The EC80 electronic control unit (ECU), responsible for various vehicle safety functions, had serious flaws, including remote code execution risks and memory corruption.
NMFTA's research highlighted that the update improved security by deleting vulnerable code but raised concerns over the potential for Denial-of-Service (DoS) attacks that could impact vehicle control. Despite the serious vulnerabilities, none were assigned a CVE identifier, which the NMFTA argued might downplay their risk significance.
The findings have led to recalls affecting approximately 450,000 units, underscoring the importance of addressing cybersecurity alongside physical safety in transportation technology.