In the last year or so, we’ve learned anything can be hacked. Even entire retail corporations?and government entities aren’t safe. Can a car be hacked?
The answer is yes. That’s according to professional hacker Charlie Miller of Ladue, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. Earlier this week, he and a friend tested their hacking skills on a 2014 Jeep Cherokee. One person was on a laptop while another was on the road driving around greater St. Louis. From the laptop, Miller was able to lock the doors. He blasted the car radio. He was took control of the steering wheel. Miller even shut down the breaks and transmission. Charlie Miller plans to discuss these disturbing results at the Black Hat convention in Las Vegas in August 2015. Miller’s experiment is so alarming that everyone is taking note, from consumers to car makers to political leaders. Chrysler is already teaming up with Miller to fix their soft security spots. A Chrysler spokesperson said the company is “…focused on identifying and implementing software best practices…”. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn) and Edward Markey (D-Mass) are pushing for laws that secure cars and protect the lives and privacy of everyone on the road. Miller worries the more automobiles depend on 21st century software technology, the more vulnerable?we all are. There could be hundreds of thousands of vulnerable cars on the road right now.
I agree with Charlie Miller. And I hope more legislators and car companies take note and do something. Don’t wait for tragedy to strike to combat evil and chaos. If they have a chance to stop it before they get started, then take it! We consumers should stay on their case until something is done. So share this and other stories like this all over social media. Write to your local Congressmen, Senator, car dealership and car company and insist this security threat is solved before someone gets hurt or killed. Don’t think somebody would hijack somebody’s car from home? Tell that to terrorists, cyber criminals, psychopaths, or anybody with a grudge. I‘m thinking even jilted ex-lovers could use this against each other. Can we afford to wait any longer to fight car hacking?