LOS ANGELES�We all knew this was coming, right? With thebevyof benefits offered by the connected car � including all sorts of access for broadcasters (radio and pure-play) � there comes an unintended consequence: Now your vehicle will need software updates and probably anti-virus software as well.
It�s just one more thing to worry about when taking your car in to the garage. I hope that mechanic is up on his certifications.�
This all comes from an article published in Wired, about how a Jeep rolling down the highway was hacked, as an experiment, of course. It�s a rather long piece. Here�s the part germane to my point:
�All of this is possible only because Chrysler, like practically all carmakers, is doing its best to turn the modern automobile into a smartphone. �Uconnect, an Internet-connected computer feature in hundreds of thousands of Fiat Chrysler cars, SUVs, and trucks, controls the vehicle�s entertainment and navigation, enables phone calls, and even offers a Wi-Fi hot spot. And thanks to one vulnerable element, which Miller and Valasek (the Hackers) won�t identify until their Black Hat talk, Uconnect�s cellular connection also lets anyone who knows the car�s IP address gain access from anywhere in the country.
�Miller and Valasek have been sharing their research with Chrysler for nearly nine months, enabling the company to quietly release a patch ahead of the Black Hat conference. On July 16, owners of vehicles with the Uconnect feature were notified of the patch in a post on Chrysler�s website that didn�t offer any details or acknowledge Miller and Valasek�s research. �[Fiat Chrysler Automobiles] has a program in place to continuously test vehicles systems to identify vulnerabilities and develop solutions,� reads a statement a Chrysler spokesperson sent to WIRED. �FCA is committed to providing customers with the latest software updates to secure vehicles against any potential vulnerability.��
�photo:�Market Strategies Int.
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