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Fiat-Chrysler’s infotainment system, UConnect, has made big news in the last couple of days, due to the security hole that was found by hackers. It was clearly demonstrated that a hacker who knows your car’s IP address can really wreak havoc on your safety.
These systems are becoming very popular, because of the services and conveniences that they offer. Some of these include:
– Remote Unlocking
– Stolen Vehicle Recovery
– Smart Phone app that allows you to keep tabs on your vehicle
– Navigation
– Monthly Vehicle Health Report and Vehicle Health Alert
– Email alerts when dash lights go on
– Subscription Entertainment Packages
It used to be, that technophobes were thought to be crazy, with the concern that hackers could completely shut down your car from a remote location. Nowadays, though, nearly every automotive system contains some form of digital control, leaving the doors wide open for opportunists to exploit.
Leave it to hackers to find a way around security protections. In the case of in car connectivity, vulnerabilities can be outright dangerous. Here are just some of the things that a predator can do to a vulnerable automobile:
– Take over the entertainment system, blasting the sound system or displaying unwanted messages on the display.
– Turn off/on the windshield wipers
– Change the way that the gauges display
– Engage the door locks
– Kill the brakes
– Play with the steering wheel
– Disengage the transmission or dramatically slow the vehicle
– Control the park-assist system
– Obtain the auto’s GPS location (imagine the case of a stalker)
– Obtain the VIN and the user’s sensitive data for use in criminal ways
This is the kind of security hole that can get someone killed in a number of ways.
How can they do it? What is a person’s risk? What can you do, to protect yourself?
Thanks, so much, for your time! I look forward to hearing from you.