BALTIMORE (WJZ) — If you use GPS in your car, you might want to listen to this: hackers have found new ways of getting your information—from your vehicle’s database.
Marcus Washington has more on how Congress is pushing for cyber security protection for your car.
It’s sad to say, but many of us have become used to the alerts that warn the information on our credit cards has been hacked or tampered with. But now your car that stores every location you’ve looked up is also a target.
Video has grabbed the attention of the automotive world and Congress. Cyber security experts Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek showed they can remotely hack a Jeep driven by a reporter for Wired, who produced the video and posted it on their website Tuesday.
“We were able to access the Jeep Cherokee over its 3G connection,” Valasek said.
The pair, who work as ethical hackers, were miles away and used the internet to get inside the Jeep’s infotainment system, controlling the radio and its nav system.
“From there, we were able to move to a different processor that was involved in in-vehicle communication so things like braking, steering, transmission,” Valasek said.
The Wired video shows the hackers disabling the Jeep’s brakes, leaving it to slide into a ditch. They estimate as many as 471,000 vehicles—including Jeeps—using Chrysler’s U-Connect system could be vulnerable.
Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey is introducing new legislation to require cybersecurity and privacy protection be applied to cars.
“We have to begin to build the protections in now, give the warnings now to American families,” Markey said.
The hackers in the video told Fiat Chrysler what they did. In a statement, the company says it has released a software update that offers customers improved vehicle electronic security and communications system enhancements.
Fiat Chrysler also says it has a dedicated team focused on identifying and implementing software best practices.
