(Newswire.net — July 25, 2015) — If you purchase a new car these days, you likely have more computers in your vehicle than at your office. So, if you are a safety-conscious person who looks at features such as automatic braking, adaptive headlights and side airbags, you better check if your new four wheeler comes with a firewall as well.
Just days after hackers demonstrated they could remotely access Jeep Cherokee’s electronic entertainment system, and control or even crash cars while their engines are running, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has recalled some 1.4 million vehicles for a software update, CNBC reported.
Reportedly, the recall affects vehicles with 8.4-inch touch screens, including 2013 – 2015 Ram pickups and chassis cabs, Dodge Viper sports cars, 2014 and 2015 Dodge Durangos, Jeep Grand Cherokees, Cherokee SUVs, 2015 Chryslers 200 and 300, as well as Dodge Chargers and Challengers.
FCA US, the American arm of the Italian auto group, issued a statement that the company would recall its models with a specific onboard entertainment system, as well as crucial systems that control the engine and connect to the internet.
Earlier this month, two cyber security researchers, Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek, once again proved that if a vehicle system has an IP address and it is connected to internet, it can be reached remotely regardless what it is, as they remotely shut down a Jeep Cherokee’s engine while driving.
“The point is to show that this attack has serious consequences for this vehicle,” said one of the hackers in a YouTube video.
Although hackers didn’t exactly revealed the process, only the result of hacking, the company disclosed in a statement that the breach was made through vehicles radio, and said it would update software to close it.
In addition, Fiat Chrysler reported that, in order to prevent similar attacks, it had sealed off a loophole in its internal cellular telephone network which talks to the vehicles.
Reportedly, the drivers of recalled cars will receive a USB device that can be used to update the vehicle’s software.
The company argued that “unique and extensive technical knowledge, prolonged physical access to a subject vehicle and extended periods of time to write code” is required to breach the system.
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 car would be rather easy to follow, and could potentially be posted online for others to use by hackers with access to an affected vehicle.