We bet most of you didn't have a clue about the fact that the car's computer can be hacked. We'll it has been demonstrated that not only it can be hacked, but it can be broken into wirelessly while the car is on the move. We also bet that you now have another reason for concern when you get behind the wheel.
Scientists and students from the University of South Carolina and Rutgers have demonstrated that a car's computer can be hacked into by wirelessly connecting into the car's Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems. This system is prone to vulnerabilities since it doesn't check the source of the input signals it receives.
The study has demonstrated that it is possible to
connect to a car's computer via the Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems, through a wireless connection, while the car is on the move. This can be done from a distance of up to 40 m. This means that a hacker in car that drives along the highway at the same speed as you are, can connect to your car's computer, download information, and even trigger some alarms. During testing, the researchers managed to trigger tire pressure warning messages.
Going further with this line of thought, a hacker tapping into the computer of you car could even
stop it, or worst, make it turn while you are on the highway. However, the amount of knowledge needed for these kind of actions limits the number of people able to do it.
[Source: ArsTechnica]
