Storage expert and Forbes.com contributor Tom Coughlin has posted a blog about the growing amount  and value of memory devices in cars.

Coughlin notes, “…estimated 5% of the memory market goes into automobiles today and this is expected to grow to 10% within the next few years as cars use more and more electronic functions to provide greater safety, greater efficiency, driver assist capabilities, communication between vehicles and local networks and richer telemetric and entertainment functions. Today about 40% of the value of an internal combustion engine automobile is in the electronics. For a hybrid or electric car this rises to about 75%.”

Of course, these memory devices and indeed the auto itself now represents a very rich target for attacks, hacks, malware and other malicious security incidents. Coughlin says, “…The design of these systems to provide strong encryption and privacy protection can make ensure that our cars are our servants rather than someone else’s spies. At the same time, connected intelligent automobiles will enable many consumer services, such as streaming content, traffic alerts, road-side assistance and theft protection. They can also provide enterprise services such as warranty maintenance, fleet optimization and even interesting services such as usage-based insurance (pay as you drive).”

TCG of course has tackled the issue of data protection in data at rest with its self-encrypting storage specifications. Today, all new solid state storage devices are self-encrypting; most HDDs and enterprise storage devices and systems also are encrypting.

Learn more about encrypting data and benefits in our new infographic and the upcoming Flash Memory Summit, Aug. 7-9, where TCG members will exhibit encrypting drives across applications.