While it may sound like science fiction to some, being car hacked might just be one of the first high-tech crimes to hit the expressway, reports Discover Magazine. With some knowledge of a modern vehicle's computer system, a wireless Internet connection and also the right software, hackers just may be able to take control of a vehicle's functions from afar. This means they can activate or deactivate lights, brakes, the accelerator and – within the most extreme cases – even directional control of the vehicle. The laundry list of potential trouble that could come from such a situation boggles the mind. Article Resource: Can a vehicle’s computer system be remotely car hacked Consider the nightmare of being car hacked Imagine what it might feel like to be car hacked. You're in gridlock, with only the stereo of your brand new, auto loan-financed to ease your weary mind. Within sight, a Wi-Fi connected hacker with smart phone has you in his sights. The hacker scopes your vehicle's computer system, sends the command and forces your car to accelerate into the rear bumper of a metallic gold BMW a couple of feet in front of you. That's a step beyond dealing with a sticky gas pedal, and researcher Stefan Savage insists that such a scenario could happen. This is because a smart car's electronic control units (ECUs) are the nerve network of a car. BBC News indicates that there's lots of data – 100 megs worth – spread across a common smart car's ECUs. As Discovery Magazine reports, that gives hackers numerous points of entry. Savage and the ways of the CarShark Savage's CarShark software demonstrated just how easy it can be to remotely gain access to car functions. For instance, common modern automobile computer systems like Electronic Stability Control and Active Cruise Control connect directly to brakes, accelerators, wheels and automated parallel parking. Hackers can flood those systems with dummy packets of data and lock them down, opening the way to send their own commands independent of the driver. While this isn't easy to achieve, a sophisticated car hacking expert could gain access. Hackers will always search for new methods to cause mischief if they are sufficiently motivated, but it is clear that automakers must take action to secure car computer systems. car hacked single-owner automobiles are one thing, but hackers could go on to a lot more sophisticated public transport possibilities like "road trains" and cause hellacious damage. Car hacking is not all death and destruction Stefan Savage points to the darkest aspects of car hacking, but Discovery points out that you will find lighter uses for the digital watusi. Wired writes of an Austin, Texas car dealer who used car hacking to harass dead beat customers. Firing the horns and lights were the dealer's little way of making dead beats take notice. Nevertheless, one employee went so far as to disable 100 cars. The offending employee was fired, but what of those automakers who don't patch the holes that make car hacking possible within the first place? They don't face the exact same scrutiny. Citations Discover Magazine http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2010/05/18/forget-car-jacking-car-hacking-is-the-crime-of-the-future/ http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2009/11/11/in-the-commute-of-the-future-drivers-can-let-a-pro-take-the-wheel/
While it may sound like science fiction to some, being car hacked might just be one of the first high-tech crimes to hit the expressway, reports Discover Magazine. With some knowledge of a modern vehicle's computer system, a wireless Internet connection and also the right software, hackers just may be able to take control of a vehicle's functions from afar. This means they can activate or deactivate lights, brakes, the accelerator and – within the most extreme cases – even directional control of the vehicle. The laundry list of potential trouble that could come from such a situation boggles the mind. Article Resource: Can a vehicle’s computer system be remotely car hacked Consider the nightmare of being car hacked Imagine what it might feel like to be car hacked. You're in gridlock, with only the stereo of your brand new, auto loan-financed to ease your weary mind. Within sight, a Wi-Fi connected hacker with smart phone has you in his sights. The hacker scopes your vehicle's computer system, sends the command and forces your car to accelerate into the rear bumper of a metallic gold BMW a couple of feet in front of you. That's a step beyond dealing with a sticky gas pedal, and researcher Stefan Savage insists that such a scenario could happen. This is because a smart car's electronic control units (ECUs) are the nerve network of a car. BBC News indicates that there's lots of data – 100 megs worth – spread across a common smart car's ECUs. As Discovery Magazine reports, that gives hackers numerous points of entry. Savage and the ways of the CarShark Savage's CarShark software demonstrated just how easy it can be to remotely gain access to car functions. For instance, common modern automobile computer systems like Electronic Stability Control and Active Cruise Control connect directly to brakes, accelerators, wheels and automated parallel parking. Hackers can flood those systems with dummy packets of data and lock them down, opening the way to send their own commands independent of the driver. While this isn't easy to achieve, a sophisticated car hacking expert could gain access. Hackers will always search for new methods to cause mischief if they are sufficiently motivated, but it is clear that automakers must take action to secure car computer systems. car hacked single-owner automobiles are one thing, but hackers could go on to a lot more sophisticated public transport possibilities like "road trains" and cause hellacious damage. Car hacking is not all death and destruction Stefan Savage points to the darkest aspects of car hacking, but Discovery points out that you will find lighter uses for the digital watusi. Wired writes of an Austin, Texas car dealer who used car hacking to harass dead beat customers. Firing the horns and lights were the dealer's little way of making dead beats take notice. Nevertheless, one employee went so far as to disable 100 cars. The offending employee was fired, but what of those automakers who don't patch the holes that make car hacking possible within the first place? They don't face the exact same scrutiny. Citations Discover Magazine http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2010/05/18/forget-car-jacking-car-hacking-is-the-crime-of-the-future/ http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2009/11/11/in-the-commute-of-the-future-drivers-can-let-a-pro-take-the-wheel/