In a recent experiment, two cyber security researchers working on car hacking was able to take control of a car and have done it remotely over the Internet.
In a course of one year, Twitter security engineer Charlie Miller and IOActive director of vehicle safety research Chris Valasek was able to develop a program that can penetrate through a cars computer system with relative ease.
The car hacking exploit was documented by Wired reporter Andy Greenberg who also volunteered to drive the Jeep Cherokee that was hacked by Miller and Valasek during the experiment.
Greenberg wrote on Wired, "Their code is an automaker's nightmare. Software that lets hackers send commands through the Jeep's entertainment system to its dashboard functions, steering, brakes, and transmission, all from a laptop that may be across the country."
According to Fortune, the same hacking exploit that was done on Greenberg's Jeep Cherokee can be deployed to as many as 471,000 vehicles today.
The team behind the car hacking exploit plans to reveal part of their software's code in the upcoming Black Hat conference. However, they gave out one critical hint on how the hack was done and that is through UConnect which is an entertainment system embedded into the car's computer system.
In 2013, Miller and Valasek were able to perform the same hacking exploit on a Toyota Prius and a Ford Escape by physically connecting their laptop into the cars. The only difference with the latest car hacking method was that it was done wirelessly through the internet.
Many analysts believe that the introduction of complicated computer systems into a car has opened up a lot of loopholes in terms of car security that a very skilled hacker may exploit. In order to counter this threat, several large car manufacturers recently formed a coalition in order to pool their security data and protect their latest tech innovations from being compromised.