How Hackers Can Take Control Of Your Car
By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
The threat of hacking is everywhere. The reality is that hackers can take so much from us, and can even make our lives miserable for years. Most of us do at least the rudimentary things to try to keep our computers and tablets safe from hackers, because those are the devices we tend to think of being compromised. Cell phone hacking is a real threat, as well - as cell phones have morphed into computers, they have become more vulnerable to hacking; hackers can now penetrate the data on unsecured cell phones simply by dialing the number. Incredible!
Well, PC���s, tablets, even cell phones���those are devices that we can at least ���understand,��� in a way, being hacked���but cars? Yup; now that computers have become the centerpieces of our vehicles (and you thought it was still the engine), the cars we drive can be dangerously susceptible to hacking. In July, Wired published a chilling piece that detailed what happened when one of their writers agreed to be the guinea pig in an experiment that tested how vulnerable automobiles are to hacking efforts. In that case, the writer, driving a Jeep Cherokee, found himself completely helpless as the experimenting hackers sent signals through the entertainment system to immobilize the entire vehicle.
Now comes word that Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has just ordered its second recall in two months so that it may install software that rebuffs hacking attempts. This latest update is for the benefit of the Jeep Renegade, and while the company has issued a statement declaring that drivers of their vehicles have nothing to worry about and the recalls are simply precautionary, it makes sense to think that the Wired story captured their attention.
In the end, anything that is or becomes computerized is basically vulnerable to nefarious actors; that���s just the way the world is now. You can help yourself by remaining extra-aware of your own vulnerability to intrusion, based on the devices and systems you own, and making inquiries of manufacturers and service providers about just how much at risk you might be from the threat of hacking.
