Cars Can Now Be Hacked – Latest Car Models Most Vulnerable to Attacks

According to Forbes.com and exclusive CNNMoney reports, hackers have proven it is possible to hack the steering and brakes of most newer vehicles. With automobiles becoming increasingly dependent on computer components, the most sophisticated hackers could hypothetically find a loophole that lets them control a vehicle remotely.

CNNMoney obtained an exclusive report that listed the most hackable car models of today. They listed the least hackable as the 2014 Audi A8 and 2014 Dodge Viper.

So How Could Cars Be Hacked?

Some newer vehicles have built-in flaws that allow them to be accessed and controlled remotely. For example, the 2015 Escalade and 2014 Jeep Cherokee are both particularly vulnerable to attacks. Any vehicle that has a built-in computer that can connect to a wireless or cellular network, could hypothetically be hacked by a highly sophisticated hacker. But why?

The main flaw that allows a vehicle's computer to be accessed remotely is that most carmakers offer a service that connects to a Wi-Fi or cellular network, like OnStar, SafetyConnect, and SYNC. Combine this with the fact that all of the car's components (engine controls, brakes, steering, tire pressure monitoring, etc.) are all connected to the same network as the vehicle's online cellular network, and Bluetooth and you realize that all a hacker has to do is hack into that network and they can technically control every aspect of the vehicle.

In the August 2011 issue of Car and Driver, a story revealed that researchers from the University of Washington and the University of California in San Diego were able to demonstrate how to take control of a car by installing a device into the OBD-II port beneath the dashboard.

Other hackers have shown that it may be possible to hack a car without installing a device. However, you would need to hack into the cellular service and then from there hack into the car's control settings through the onboard network.

What Could a Hacker Do With Your Vehicle?

In a Forbes story published last year, hackers showed that they could take control of a 2010 Toyota Prius and manipulate it into doing a wide range of remote maneuvers, including but not limited to making the car's horn honk repeatedly, manipulating the built-in GPS to provide faulty directions, slamming on the brakes at high speeds, taking control of the steering wheel, spoofing the odometer and speedometer to falsify speed and mileage readings, and much more.

Obviously, if any of the previous actions suddenly occurred while you were driving down the road it could cause serious consequences, so this issue is perhaps the most important in cyber security today, because it is actually a matter of personal security as well.

Then there's also the concern that a hacker could, theoretically, remotely steal your vehicle and drive it off like a remote control car. But then again, to do that they would need to have access to an advanced dash or bumper cam – although some vehicles do have those installed. Earlier this year, Forbes did a story that showed off an iPhone-sized device that can hack a vehicle.

Does This Mean Your Vehicle Could Be Hacked?

As of right now, there are very few individuals or organizations in the world that would be capable of hacking an automobile, and given that these flaws are being thoroughly studied by government agencies and car companies, it is highly unlikely that your car would be hacked by a random hacker on the street. With that said, Norton has published a thorough resource on the topic to help consumers determine whether their car is at risk.

The aforementioned reports do not seem to indicate that car hacking is an immediate widespread threat to the public. Instead, researchers, developers, and ethical hackers are attempting to expose security flaws that are inherent in many of today's vehicles, before unethical hackers have the chance to exploit these relatively newly discovered loopholes. While it is currently unlikely that the average hacker could pull something like this off, this is a concern that should be closely monitored, especially as Google prepares to release its self-driving car software within the next three to five years.