Car Hacking through Networked Car Computers

Quite a few blogs back I wrote about how our privacy can be hacked by wireless electric meters, but I didn’t even consider the possibility of car hacking. But apparently car hacking can be done.  May it never be as common as carjacking but it shares some characteristics. The driver isn't in control of their own vehicle and the consequences could be deadly. Car cyberattacks where cars are controlled remotely and made to accelerate wildly or brake suddenly are possible, just not proven, yet. The engine control unit, the ECU, in your car controls the engine power, transmission, and brakes and mechanics plug in with a laptop to diagnose problems. Remote diagnostics go over a cellular network like OnStar. These can make your car vulnerable. A couple of Spanish engineers have created a device ($25) with a $1 chip that breaks encryption so users can write to the memory of a car’s ECU in order to get more horsepower out of a car or get it to burn less fuel. Until as recently as five years ago cars ECU systems have gone unencrypted. Computers are a big part of lots things I take for granted and now I have one more to think about. Could my car be used as a drone?