{"id":7024,"date":"2016-10-03T07:44:17","date_gmt":"2016-10-02T21:44:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.privatefleet.com.au\/?p=7024"},"modified":"2020-06-20T00:49:51","modified_gmt":"2020-06-19T14:49:51","slug":"car-jacking-2016-style-can-your-car-be-hacked","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.privatefleet.com.au\/blog\/home\/car-jacking-2016-style-can-your-car-be-hacked\/","title":{"rendered":"Car-Jacking 2016-Style: Can Your Car Be Hacked?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"hacker\"Fact number one: more and more components of modern cars are controlled by electronics and computer systems.\u00a0 Fact number two: cars are one of the most significant items in the Internet Of Things, where things that aren\u2019t computers and mobile phones go online and send info from A to B or receive information.\u00a0 Tons of new cars of the more connected type have the ability to run a diagnostic test, send the info to the maintenance people and send you a report (e.g. Ford\u2019s <\/a>SYNC Vehicle Health Report).\u00a0 You can also get apps to help you find where you parked your car if you are one of those who have a tendency to get forgetful in car parking buildings.\u00a0 Many cars are so connected that they\u2019re probably the most mobile of mobile devices.<\/p>\n

Fact number three: hackers exist.\u00a0 Scary stuff.\u00a0 You\u2019ve got a car with all these electronically controlled safety devices (including steering correction and brake deployment), your car is connected to the internet and there are evil-minded folk out there who like to create a bit of havoc.<\/p>\n

Scientific American magazine in February 2016 ran an article <\/a>that explained that hackers can\u2019t take over your car.\u00a0 However, Norton \u2013 the internet security experts who put out some of the best online protection software (thanks, guys; it works on my computers) \u2013 warn that some features of cars can and have been hacked. \u00a0Not that there have been cases of cars being suddenly taken over by Evil Dr Loony-Boffin, whisking the hapless driver and passenger away to a secret underground lab where sinister experiments are conducted (cheesy thriller film, anyone?).\u00a0 However, Norton reports <\/a>that there have been cases where disgruntled employees have immobilized engines remotely, or where researchers have managed to trigger tyre pressure warning signals or even disable the brakes.<\/p>\n

The most high-profile story about car hacking comes from the US, where a pair of cyber security experts hacked a Jeep Cherokee <\/a>in the name of research, and managed to take out the brakes (and do other stuff) while someone else was driving it.\u00a0 Wired magazine filmed it:<\/p>\n