What happens if your car stops suddenly in the middle of a busy road? You may look for the regular issues, like jammed brake piston, gas leak, or you may even try opening the hood (bonnet) to check if it’s a mechanical problem. How many of you wonder if it’s a work of a hacker? If you do, then good. You are one step closer to secure your cars from hackers.

In this video Wired magazine shows us the vulnerability of modern vehicles to hackers. From disabling brakes to changing your seat settings, a hacker can remotely control your vehicle like he is playing an RC toy car. The only difference is that instead of a remote, he uses his computer to control your car. FBI has recently reminded us of the increasing vulnerability of modern cars to remote exploits.

Watch cyber security researchers Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek hacking into a Jeep Cherokee while Wired’s technology journalist Andy Greenberg drives it.

The big question is, what you can do about it?

  • Keep your car updated with the latest firmware from your car manufacturer.
  • Disable unused services like Bluetooth and other third party applications.
  • Be more careful while connecting your smartphone with your vehicle- hackers can use that as an access point.
  • Secure your car WiFi hotspots before using it.
  • Beware of smart driving assist devices, they may not be designed to withhold a security breach.
  • Educate yourself with your vehicle’s features and understand the potential loopholes in it.

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