It took these high-tech hackers just 6 minutes to steal Dodge and Jeeps cars
Last year a report revealed how hackers managed to hack into a jeep and take full control of the vehicle. The shocking report detailed several incidents within Houston area in which hackers used their laptops, mobile phones and stolen software to hack into stationary Jeep Cherokees. The hackers then managed to get the cars into motion and drive them away.
The reports that followed indicated that what was happening in the Houston area was a carefully planned and orchestrated scheme. According to the ABC 13 TV station, the jeep-hacking incidents were carried out by two young men.
It was reported that the young men had made it a habit of hacking into the software of jeeps using their laptops and other gadgets, gain control the cars and drive away. It was after detailed analysis of video footage and an ensuing search that the police managed to identify, track down and then arrest the two individuals.
Suspects: Michael Arcee and Jesse Zelaya / Image Source: ABC 13 TV station
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Although it is very frightening to consider what these two people managed to do, it remains unclear how they managed to get into the cars and, hack into the systems of the cars and then drive away. This is the last part of the puzzle that the police have been struggling to piece together ever since.
Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek, leading security researchers, first reported about the possibility of vehicles being hacked into sometime last year. In extensive demonstrations, they showed the world how it is possible for hackers to gain access to nearly any type of modern day vehicle and command the vehicle to do anything. For example, they showed how hackers could command a car to decelerate suddenly or even fail to break.
The primary concern of the public is the way in which car-hacking takes place and the extent to which cars are vulnerable. According to Miller and Valasek, the reason as to why hackers can hijack cars is because modern cars have special computers built into them. The small computers are supposed to help the cars get connected to the internet, and they are used for navigation as well as entertainment purposes.
It is in light of the extent to which modern-day cars are vulnerable to hacking that researchers are developing new firewall technology to protect modern-day cars from the constant hacking attempts that they face.
According to Karamba, an Israeli firm that is behind the development of the technology, all cars are very vulnerable to attacks. It remains to be seen how successful the company will be in convincing developers to use its firewall technology in cars.
