The risks of car hacking
The risks of car hacking
When thinking about getting a new car, everyone has a checklist of features they want it to have. Whether it’s alloyed wheels, leather seats or an AUX cable; we all have our preferences. As the decade is progressing, one of these features may be an internal electronic control unit (ECU). This could come in the form of a touch screen system, or an in-car sat nav.
But do these connected systems pose a threat to vehicle owner and passenger safety? Many experts believe that these electronic systems can be hacked just like a computer. They have labelled this process car hacking.
What is car hacking?
Car hacking can be described as the manipulation of code in a vehicle’s ECU to gain control of its functions. To put it frankly, your vehicle will be under new occupancy and you would have no choice in the matter.
I know what you’re thinking - “If they hack my sat nav, I can drive without one”. That’s where the risk lies. The functions in which car hackers can gain dominance include GPS navigation systems, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth features, and the worst of all, the steering and brakes. Yes, you read that right.
Furthermore, with the commercialisation of driverless cars hoping to be on sale by 2020, the risk is becoming even greater.
What vehicles are at risk?
Experts suggest any vehicle with an ECU or autonomous features are at risk. This could include any car manufactured in the last few years. It’s almost a standard for new model vehicles to be kitted out with these futuristic features, and this figure is only rising.
There are currently around 1.8million “connected” cars in the UK and analysts have predicted that the number of these vehicles will rise to around 8.6 million by 2020. That is just taking into account the UK.
To pick out a few specifics, experts have identified a few vehicles which could be at higher risk due to the evaluation of their software. These include the Toyota Prius, 2014 BMW X3, and the 2014 Range Rover Evoque, which are very common in the UK.
How can I safeguard against hackers?
Experts have suggested that one of the fundamental ways to combat the hacking is to ensure your vehicle software is as up-to-date as possible. Keeping the internal systems up-to-date will guarantee that firewalls are capable enough to prevent hackers.
There has also been funding into the research of these internal systems within connected or autonomous vehicles. The University of Warwick has developed testing equipment to assess the risks involved. It incorporates a Faraday cage which acts as an electronic barrier, deterring any wireless signals. This helps the technicians to identify the security weaknesses in the systems, then the information gathered is sent to the software manufacturers so they can eventually design new and improved impenetrable code.
When thinking about getting a new car, everyone has a checklist of features they want it to have. Whether it’s alloyed wheels, leather seats or an AUX cable; we all have our preferences. As the decade is progressing, one of these features may be an internal electronic control unit (ECU). This could come in the form of a touch screen system, or an in-car sat nav.
But do these connected systems pose a threat to vehicle owner and passenger safety? Many experts believe that these electronic systems can be hacked just like a computer. They have labelled this process car hacking.
What is car hacking?
Car hacking can be described as the manipulation of code in a vehicle’s ECU to gain control of its functions. To put it frankly, your vehicle will be under new occupancy and you would have no choice in the matter.
I know what you’re thinking - “If they hack my sat nav, I can drive without one”. That’s where the risk lies. The functions in which car hackers can gain dominance include GPS navigation systems, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth features, and the worst of all, the steering and brakes. Yes, you read that right.
Furthermore, with the commercialisation of driverless cars hoping to be on sale by 2020, the risk is becoming even greater.
What vehicles are at risk?
Experts suggest any vehicle with an ECU or autonomous features are at risk. This could include any car manufactured in the last few years. It’s almost a standard for new model vehicles to be kitted out with these futuristic features, and this figure is only rising.
There are currently around 1.8million “connected” cars in the UK and analysts have predicted that the number of these vehicles will rise to around 8.6 million by 2020. That is just taking into account the UK.
To pick out a few specifics, experts have identified a few vehicles which could be at higher risk due to the evaluation of their software. These include the Toyota Prius, 2014 BMW X3, and the 2014 Range Rover Evoque, which are very common in the UK.
How can I safeguard against hackers?
Experts have suggested that one of the fundamental ways to combat the hacking is to ensure your vehicle software is as up-to-date as possible. Keeping the internal systems up-to-date will guarantee that firewalls are capable enough to prevent hackers.
There has also been funding into the research of these internal systems within connected or autonomous vehicles. The University of Warwick has developed testing equipment to assess the risks involved. It incorporates a Faraday cage which acts as an electronic barrier, deterring any wireless signals. This helps the technicians to identify the security weaknesses in the systems, then the information gathered is sent to the software manufacturers so they can eventually design new and improved impenetrable code.
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