A Hybrid Human-AI Model for Enhanced Automated Vulnerability Scoring in Modern Vehicle Sensor Systems

Abstract

Modern vehicles are rapidly transforming into interconnected cyber–physical systems that rely on advanced sensor technologies and pervasive connectivity to support autonomous functionality. Yet, despite this evolution, standardized methods for quantifying cybersecurity vulnerabilities across critical automotive components remain scarce. This paper introduces a novel hybrid model that integrates expert-driven insights with generative AI tools to adapt and extend the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) specifically for autonomous vehicle sensor systems. Following a three-phase methodology, the study conducted a systematic review of 16 peer-reviewed sources (2018–2024), applied CVSS version 4.0 scoring to 15 representative attack types, and evaluated four free source generative AI models—ChatGPT, DeepSeek, Gemini, and Copilot—on a dataset of 117 annotated automotive-related vulnerabilities. Expert validation from 10 domain professionals reveals that Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) sensors are the most vulnerable (9 distinct attack types), followed by Radio Detection And Ranging (radar) (8) and ultrasonic (6). Network-based attacks dominate (104 of 117 cases), with 92.3% of the dataset exhibiting low attack complexity and 82.9% requiring no user interaction. The most severe attack vectors, as scored by experts using CVSS, include eavesdropping (7.19), Sybil attacks (6.76), and replay attacks (6.35). Evaluation of large language models (LLMs) showed that DeepSeek achieved an F1 score of 99.07% on network-based attacks, while all models struggled with minority classes such as high complexity (e.g., ChatGPT F1 = 0%, Gemini F1 = 15.38%). The findings highlight the potential of integrating expert insight with AI efficiency to deliver more scalable and accurate vulnerability assessments for modern vehicular systems.This study offers actionable insights for vehicle manufacturers and cybersecurity practitioners, aiming to inform strategic efforts to fortify sensor integrity, optimize network resilience, and ultimately enhance the cybersecurity posture of next-generation autonomous vehicles.