VW Partners on Car Anti-Hacking Security Services

Volkswagen Group is forming a venture with three non-automotive partners to help companies identify and defend against potential cyber attacks on their corporate databases.

The Germany Cybersecurity Organization (DCSO) will include insurer Allianz, medical company Bayer and chemical giant BASF in addition to VW. Each partner will own 25% of the venture.

Berlin-based DCSO will collaborate with Germany's Ministry of the Interior and Federal Office for Information Security. It plans to offer services to German companies in the form of early-warning system and security audits.

The partners say they hope the information exchange they envision will enable an "anonymized status report on national cybersecurity" for Germany.