Hackers figure out how to seize control of a car from anywhere

As connected cars become commonplace, automakers will have a harder time keeping their heads in the sand on security.

A pair of well-known hackers have proven that they can take over a car's vital functions--including brakes and acceleration -- from anywhere with an Internet connection.

As described in this fascinating (and frightening) Wired feature, Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek took control of Jeep Cherokee that reporter Andy Greenberg was driving. From 10 miles away, Miller and Valasek started messing with the car's speakers and air conditioning, and then cut off its transmission in the middle of a busy interstate.

The elaborate hack involved about three years of research, but requires only a laptop connected to a Sprint phone to make the connection. That's due to the nature of Jeep's Uconnect system, which runs on the Sprint network. Miller and Valasek estimate that 471,000 vulnerable cars are on the road today.

The two hackers plan to release their findings at the Black Hat conference next month, but won't include the code that rewrites the car's firmware. Without extensive reverse-engineering, attackers will only have access to climate control and other dashboard functions. But Miller and Valasek have also been working with Chrysler on a patch, which should come out before the conference. (Owners will still have to install the update via USB or take it into a dealer, so many vehicles will likely remain insecure.)

Again, I highly recommend reading the lengthy Wired feature for the full, frightening story.

In the meantime, Wired reports that U.S. Senators Ed Markey and Richard Blumenthal will introduce legislation to require tighter security in connected cars. A previous survey of automakers by Markey found "a clear lack of appropriate security measures," with only seven out of 16 automakers saying they'd hired independent security firms to check their work. Only two of those automakers said they monitored for malicious commands on the network protocol used in the Jeep exploit.

Why this matters: Car security was easier to dismiss in the past, when hackers still needed physical access to the vehicle. But as more cars gain Internet-connected smarts, covering everything from the entertainment system to the actual driving, Miller and Valasek have proven that this is a deadly serious issue. There are measures that automakers can take to protect their vehicles against hacking; hopefully the combination of legislation and real-world proof will prompt them to treat the matter with more urgency.

Join the newsletter!

Or

Sign up to gain exclusive access to email subscriptions, event invitations, competitions, giveaways, and much more.

Membership is free, and your security and privacy remain protected. View our privacy policy before signing up.

Error: Please check your email address.

Tags carsCar TechJeepwired

Keep up with the latest tech news, reviews and previews by subscribing to the Good Gear Guide newsletter.

Jared Newman

PC World (US online)
Show Comments

Most Popular Reviews

Latest Articles

Resources

PCW Evaluation Team

Cate Bacon

Aruba Instant On AP11D

The strength of the Aruba Instant On AP11D is that the design and feature set support the modern, flexible, and mobile way of working.

Dr Prabigya Shiwakoti

Aruba Instant On AP11D

Aruba backs the AP11D up with a two-year warranty and 24/7 phone support.

Tom Pope

Dynabook Portégé X30L-G

Ultimately this laptop has achieved everything I would hope for in a laptop for work, while fitting that into a form factor and weight that is remarkable.

Tom Sellers

MSI P65

This smart laptop was enjoyable to use and great to work on – creating content was super simple.

Lolita Wang

MSI GT76

It really doesn’t get more “gaming laptop” than this.

Featured Content

Product Launch Showcase

Don’t have an account? Sign up here

Don't have an account? Sign up now

Forgot password?