It is official: Cars can be hacked via the web
Discussion
Read a worrying article on wired today: http://www.wired.com/2015/07/hackers-remotely-kill...
The two hackers that discovered back in 2013 you can control a vehicle through the service port have now perfected their technique to hack cars remotely from their lounge.
The article describes how they hacked their way from the entertainment system into the SCADA system and were able to take control of brakes, engine power and transmission function. They are perfecting their technique to gain full control over steering as well.
Needless to say the implications of this research are enormous - companies specialising in software development are struggling to secure their systems against hacker attacks (eg Microsoft, Apple). Vehicle OEMs who have only a few years experience look like they are repeating the early mistakes by the tech giants and appear far behind in how to deal with this threat.
I am just wondering about the implications of this article:
If such a hack were to have a UK victim that involved physical damage and personal injury, with the origin abroad, what are the legal implications of such a hack?
Would insurance companies hold OEMs liable, possibly leading class action if multiple vehicles/insurance companies were involved?
Would Parliament be able to introduce punishing legislation to force OEMs to take action?
Would the response be different if the attack were to originate in the UK?
And most importantly: how would our perception & enjoyment of driving change now that we start realising that our cars are as vulnerable as our home computers, if not more so?
The two hackers that discovered back in 2013 you can control a vehicle through the service port have now perfected their technique to hack cars remotely from their lounge.
The article describes how they hacked their way from the entertainment system into the SCADA system and were able to take control of brakes, engine power and transmission function. They are perfecting their technique to gain full control over steering as well.
Needless to say the implications of this research are enormous - companies specialising in software development are struggling to secure their systems against hacker attacks (eg Microsoft, Apple). Vehicle OEMs who have only a few years experience look like they are repeating the early mistakes by the tech giants and appear far behind in how to deal with this threat.
I am just wondering about the implications of this article:
If such a hack were to have a UK victim that involved physical damage and personal injury, with the origin abroad, what are the legal implications of such a hack?
Would insurance companies hold OEMs liable, possibly leading class action if multiple vehicles/insurance companies were involved?
Would Parliament be able to introduce punishing legislation to force OEMs to take action?
Would the response be different if the attack were to originate in the UK?
And most importantly: how would our perception & enjoyment of driving change now that we start realising that our cars are as vulnerable as our home computers, if not more so?
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