Hacking: Possible threat to future automobiles
Hacking: Possible threat to future automobiles :- The automotive industry is currently witnessing a huge shift. The last couple of years have been very exciting for the automobile industry, where Tesla pushing and making its way for fully electric and autonomous cars, the established automobile makers have also transferred into high gears.
Technology mixed with automobiles
Different companies like Chevrolet, Volvo, Jaguar and many more are trying their best for the creation of an electric car. A huge amount of revenue and R&D is also being invested in developing the driverless cars, which will definitely redefine the future of the automobile world.
But in all this one important thing to note down is, as the car makers are trying to make their products efficient, productive and safe, they are also relying more and more on the electronic equipments rather than the mechanical parts. However, neither the former and nor the latter are fully reliable and prone to failures. Numerous incidents of electronic failures and autopilot malfunctions have been reported which already have or could prove deadly in the future.
The biggest issue with the technology is that as it evolves the means of illegality takeovers. And since technology is becoming a part of our day to day life, hackers are finding it very easy to take over the digital world and enter into our personal lives.
Easy Hacking Conducted
Recently, a team of hackers managed to take control over the Tesla Model S from a distance of 19 kilometers (approx). They managed to hinder with the brakes, door locks, the dashboard computer screen and the other electronic equipments onboard.
These hackers were generally the Chinese security researchers namely Samuel LV, Sen Nie, Ling Liu and Wen Lu from the Keen Security Lab. They were easily able to target the car wirelessly which proved that a real life attack could prove to be deadly. The hacking team could enter the controller area network (CAN), which is a bundle of tiny computers found in every modern vehicle to control most of the electronic equipments like indicators or brakes.
Read Here : Self-driven automobiles by Toyota by 2020
With this successful hijack, the hackers have gained the ability to move the seats back and front, trigger the indicators and windscreen wipers and open the sunroof and boot as well while the car was in use and in the parking mode. The hackers also took control over the car brakes, which is probably the most serious threat for the driver.
However the hackers acted responsibly and suggested this issue to Tesla itself. Tesla stated, “The demonstrated issue can only be triggered when the web browser is in use, and it also requires the car to be physically near and connected to the malicious Wi-Fi hotspot. Our estimate states that the risk to our customers is very low.”
Threat needs to be given attention
This is a completely new threat which needs serious attention as the cars become more electronic than mechanical these days. The car makers will have to ensure physical as well as digital safety. Apart from taking control over the car, a hacker could easily hack the personal devices like smartphones and tablets connected to the car’s infotainment system, which means that a hacker could easily read your mails and messages while your smartphone is connected to the car.
The future of the automobiles will not only require good mechanics and engineers, but will also need specialists who can come up with powerful methods to ensure digital security.
