As published on the technology magazine Wired, the researchers get into a volunteer’s Cherokee and remotely controlled the engine, steering, door locks and several other systems of the vehicle by using a laptop.
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Last Friday, Chrysler announced that a formal recall of their 1.4 million vehicles would be issued as the company’s Uconnect dashboard computers may be affected by a hackable software vulnerability.
The Jeep Grand Cherokee and Cherokee SUVs from model years 2014 and 2015 and 2015 Dodge Challenger sports coupes, are among the recalled vehicles.
To install the software patch, Fiat Chryslet said customers should visit a dedicated website and update and input their vehicle identification number and determine whether their vehicles are included in the recall. Rather than actually turning in their vehicles, customers can receive a USB device with which to upgrade the vehicle’s software. “FCA US is conducting this campaign out of an abundance of caution”. The hackers demonstrated that they could control the brakes, speed, air conditioning and radio on a Jeep Cherokee.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened an investigation to check the effectiveness of the Fiat Chrysler recall. The decision comes after hackers Chris Valesek and Charlie Miller remotely killed a Jeep on a highway in an effort to expose the vulnerabilities of the car’s software system.
An NHTSA spokesman said that the recall was a first of its kind and believed it would send a shock through the automobile industry.
Fiat Chrysler moved quickly to recall 1.4 million vehicles equipped with certain Internet and radio software that can be hacked by outsiders. If that happens, then the hacker could very well be charged under the criminal code of law.
“The security of FCA US customers is a top priority, as is retaining their confidence in the Company’s products”, the company said in a press release.
Fiat Chrysler says it provides added security beyond the cellular network fixes.
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However, in today’s world, where an average internet user can easily find the how-to’s for hacking a cell phone, instructions with exact step-by-step explanation about how to gain control over a moving auto would be rather easy to follow, and could potentially be posted online for others to use by hackers with access to an affected vehicle. The coding for the hack required extensive technical knowledge of the vehicle.
