Photo: screenshot
Along with the ever increasing amount of technology we get inside our cars, we need to be aware of the risks that they bring. It may seem like nothing at first but adding internet connectivity to your onboard entertainment system is the biggest threat you’ll face.
That’s because unless the car maker takes the appropriate steps towards making communication between your car and various servers safe, you can end up being hacked. Furthermore, depending on the car, the hackers can perform a variety of tasks, some more dangerous than others.
The guys from Wired wanted to put this theory to the test and they hooked up with two hackers: Charlier Miller and Chris Valasek. They were kindly asked to hack into a Jeep Cherokee’s infotainment system and take over various functions.
At first, it may seem like what they are capable of doing is just stupid and wouldn’t actually put your life in danger. Blaring music as loud as possible through the speakers, turning the AC on and off and activating the windshield wipers are definitely the kind of examples of such behaviors. However, when they disable the engine of the car is when things get serious.
Of course, we don’t have to tell you the threat such a takeover implies. To make things even worse, the hackers prove that this is doable remotely, from basically any part of the world, all you need is access to the internet. Apparently, this was possible because of an exploit available in cars fitted with Uconnect and that includes most models made by Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep and Ram Trucks.
FCA said that it’s aware of this issue and it’s working on a fix for it that will be available later on this year. As far as we know, no other manufacturer reported such problems even though some even held workshops where they invited people to take a stab at breaking their security. One thing’s for sure: this is one area that needs to be better regulated and watched over in the next few years! What we’re looking at here (especially when they cut the brakes) is downright scary!
The guys from Wired wanted to put this theory to the test and they hooked up with two hackers: Charlier Miller and Chris Valasek. They were kindly asked to hack into a Jeep Cherokee’s infotainment system and take over various functions.
At first, it may seem like what they are capable of doing is just stupid and wouldn’t actually put your life in danger. Blaring music as loud as possible through the speakers, turning the AC on and off and activating the windshield wipers are definitely the kind of examples of such behaviors. However, when they disable the engine of the car is when things get serious.
Of course, we don’t have to tell you the threat such a takeover implies. To make things even worse, the hackers prove that this is doable remotely, from basically any part of the world, all you need is access to the internet. Apparently, this was possible because of an exploit available in cars fitted with Uconnect and that includes most models made by Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep and Ram Trucks.
FCA said that it’s aware of this issue and it’s working on a fix for it that will be available later on this year. As far as we know, no other manufacturer reported such problems even though some even held workshops where they invited people to take a stab at breaking their security. One thing’s for sure: this is one area that needs to be better regulated and watched over in the next few years! What we’re looking at here (especially when they cut the brakes) is downright scary!
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