Hackers can take over Jeeps by remote control?
Fiat has been forced to recall 1.4million Jeeps by the US Government – after it was discovered that the vehicles’ computer systems could be hacked into and controlled remotely.
The investigation began after the computer programmers at Wired magazine managed to manipulate a Jeep Cherokee while driving on the Missouri motorway!
During this research, they were able to completely disable the Jeep’s engine and control interior features such as air-conditioning, locks and the radio.
Fiat take a $105m hit as a result of the Jeep recall. This fine eclipses the previous record of $70m against Honda in January.
The 1.4 million Jeeps affected are only in the US, although car manufacturers in the UK have been under increased pressure to improve their security features. In particular, ‘keyless’ cars – as thousands of these have already been stolen by being able to bypass the security systems.
Don’t let your luxury vehicle be the target of car theft!
So far Fiat is unaware of anyone being injured as a result of a Jeep being hacked, or even of any complaints. The recall has been issued due to political pressure on the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ management.
An FCA spokesman added: “The security of US customers is a top priority, as is retaining their confidence in the company’s products. Accordingly, FCA US has established a dedicated [engineering] team focused on identifying and implementing best practices for software development and integration.”
Thieves using jamming devices to disable automatic locking?
The US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said President Obama would be pushing hard to make sure the 250 million vehicles on US roads were properly protected from cyber hacking.
Source: The Independant