---
title: "Elon Musk Wants All Autonomous Cars to Be as Secure as Tesla’s"
description: "Elon Musk says he plans to make Tesla's security code for autonomous vehicles freely available, allowing other automakers to use it as they see fit."
date: "2018-08-13"
modified: "2018-08-13"
authors:
  - name: "Kristin Houser"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/kristin"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/teslas-security-code-elon-musk"
categories:
  - "Advanced Transport"
  - "Elon Musk"
  - "Future Society"
  - "Tesla"
  - "The Industrialists"
tags:
  - "Autonomous vehicles"
  - "elon musk"
  - "tesla"
  - "the digest"
---

# Elon Musk Wants All Autonomous Cars to Be as Secure as Tesla’s

![Elon Musk says he plans to make Tesla's security code for autonomous vehicles freely available, allowing other automakers to use it as they see fit.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Teslas-security-code.png>)
*\<em\>Image: Insurance Institute For Highway Safety\</em\>*

**THE ELON GIVETH.** Not all of tech billionaire Elon Musk's tweets are [cryptic](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-taking-tesla-private>) — sometimes, a tweet is just a tweet. On Saturday morning, Musk tweeted that he plans to share the source code for Tesla's security software — code designed to ensure hackers can't take control of an autonomous vehicle — with other automakers.

"Great Q&A @defcon last night. Thanks for helping make Tesla & SpaceX more secure!" Tesla's CEO tweeted. "Planning to open-source Tesla vehicle security software for free use by other car makers. Extremely important to a safe self-driving future for all."

**MOSTLY ALTRUISTIC.** This wouldn't be the first time Tesla released some of its source code — back in May, the automaker shared code for the Autopilot and infotainment systems that runs in the Model S and Model X.

And while sharing all this code might *seem* like a wholly charitable gesture on the surface, Tesla could actually benefit from it. By open-sourcing Tesla's security code, Musk is giving experts beyond Tesla's own staff a chance to sift out any vulnerabilities within in. [As *Engadget* points out](<https://www.engadget.com/2018/08/11/tesla-to-open-source-car-security-code/>), the move could also set the company up as the market leader for autonomous vehicle security, a position that might help the company win customers now and in the future.

**CAN'T WAIT ON MUSK.** When (or even if) will Musk make good on this promise to open-source Tesla's security code? That's anybody's guess — after all, the CEO does have a penchant for tweeting from the hip, so many he'll change his mind.

Whether automakers base their security code on Tesla's or not, though, they'll need to make sure [security is a top priority](<https://futurism.com/category/advanced-transport>) as autonomous cars develop and become more commonplace.

**READ MORE:** [Tesla Will Open Its Security Code to Other Car Manufacturers](<https://www.engadget.com/2018/08/11/tesla-to-open-source-car-security-code/>) \[Engadget\]

***More on autonomous vehicle security: [The World’s First Ethical Guidelines for Driverless Cars](<https://futurism.com/category/advanced-transport>)***

### Author social links  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristinjhouser>)