cantthinkofanything
09-07-2011, 09:08 AM
This is an excerpt from a Cracked article called "8 Things You Won't Believe Can Be Hacked". Not sure how valid it is but seems legit...
#7. Cut Your Car's Brakes
Security specialists at the University of Washington and the University of California have shown that new cars with computer systems onboard face a real security threat from hackers (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/14/science/14hack.html). These scientists were able to gain control of two vehicles and operate more than a dozen functions while the cars were in motion. This included things like braking, selective braking of each wheel (thus effectively "steering" the car) and shutting off the engine completely. Scarier still is that once they gained control of the vehicles, driver input was totally ignored: The pedals, wheel and switches all had no effect. They were also able to launch a "composite attack," in which the malicious software would be erased after a crash, effectively leaving no evidence of tampering.
Being vehicular-manslaughtered by cyberwarriors is the worst case scenario, of course.
It's far more likely that these exploits will be used to simply steal the cars. Experts are predicting that the future of car theft is a split venture (http://www.itworld.com/security/139794/with-hacking-music-can-take-control-your-car), with hackers selling their services to car thieves by providing them with the GPS location of the vehicle, then unlocking the door and starting the engine remotely so the thieves can drive off with it. Possible points of entry for a car hacker are through Bluetooth, a cellular network, the freaking tire pressure monitor (http://autos.aol.com/article/car-hacked-tire-pressure-monitor/) and even music files (http://www.itworld.com/security/139794/with-hacking-music-can-take-control-your-car). Yes, the next song you download could be your last, if the wrong hacker has been into it. So while we agree that Journey's Greatest Hits is indeed a sweet album that you totally need for that road trip, you have to ask yourself the question: Is it worth dying for?
Read more: 8 Things You Won't Believe Can Be Hacked | Cracked.com (http://www.cracked.com/article_19412_8-things-you-wont-believe-can-be-hacked.html#ixzz1XH98ITIy) http://www.cracked.com/article_19412_8-things-you-wont-believe-can-be-hacked.html#ixzz1XH98ITIy
#7. Cut Your Car's Brakes
Security specialists at the University of Washington and the University of California have shown that new cars with computer systems onboard face a real security threat from hackers (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/14/science/14hack.html). These scientists were able to gain control of two vehicles and operate more than a dozen functions while the cars were in motion. This included things like braking, selective braking of each wheel (thus effectively "steering" the car) and shutting off the engine completely. Scarier still is that once they gained control of the vehicles, driver input was totally ignored: The pedals, wheel and switches all had no effect. They were also able to launch a "composite attack," in which the malicious software would be erased after a crash, effectively leaving no evidence of tampering.
Being vehicular-manslaughtered by cyberwarriors is the worst case scenario, of course.
It's far more likely that these exploits will be used to simply steal the cars. Experts are predicting that the future of car theft is a split venture (http://www.itworld.com/security/139794/with-hacking-music-can-take-control-your-car), with hackers selling their services to car thieves by providing them with the GPS location of the vehicle, then unlocking the door and starting the engine remotely so the thieves can drive off with it. Possible points of entry for a car hacker are through Bluetooth, a cellular network, the freaking tire pressure monitor (http://autos.aol.com/article/car-hacked-tire-pressure-monitor/) and even music files (http://www.itworld.com/security/139794/with-hacking-music-can-take-control-your-car). Yes, the next song you download could be your last, if the wrong hacker has been into it. So while we agree that Journey's Greatest Hits is indeed a sweet album that you totally need for that road trip, you have to ask yourself the question: Is it worth dying for?
Read more: 8 Things You Won't Believe Can Be Hacked | Cracked.com (http://www.cracked.com/article_19412_8-things-you-wont-believe-can-be-hacked.html#ixzz1XH98ITIy) http://www.cracked.com/article_19412_8-things-you-wont-believe-can-be-hacked.html#ixzz1XH98ITIy