Two security experts have demonstrated the ability to hack into a Prius. CREDIT: Toyota
The Toyota Prius is one of the most high-tech cars on the consumer market.
So many of its processes are linked up to the car’s onboard computer that you almost don’t even have to put your hands on the steering wheel to drive the car.
In fact, for hackers like Chris Valasek and Charlie Miller, all you need is a Macbook, a USB cable and a little creative thinking.
From the backseat of a Prius, these two security researchers have proven they can do everything from honk the horn to turn off the brakes just by tapping a few keys of their Mac laptops.
That’s right: they can turn off the brakes. Even when someone is sitting in the front seat, hands on the steering wheel, furiously pressing down on the brake pedal — the car won’t slow down. [See also: Why Internet Hacking Is Your Fault]
The two security researchers — Valasek works for IOActive and Miller for Twitter — have spent the last year looking for security vulnerabilities in computerized cars under a grant from the Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
At the annual DEF CON hacking conference held in Las Vegas, on Friday August 2, Miller and Valasek will go into more detail about their discoveries, and demonstrate just how much control they can get over a car. But from what they’ve already revealed in previews, it’s quite a lot.
Aside from turning off the brakes, which is terrifying enough in and of itself, Miller and Valasek can turn off power steering, make the onboard GPS systems give wrong directions, change the numbers on the speedometer and even make the car change direction.
The Latest Bing News on:
Security vulnerabilities in computerized cars
- CSUF cybersecurity students test their ‘ethical hacking’ abilitieson January 21, 2021 at 11:33 pm
A squad competes in a top collegiate cybersecurity competition that approaches the field from a hacker’s perspective.
- Vehicle Manufacturers Face Cybersecurity Challengeson January 19, 2021 at 12:01 pm
Over the last several decades, there have been significant advancements in automotive technology. Today’s vehicles are equipped with more and more sophisticated computer systems than ever before ...
- Flaws in widely used dnsmasq software leave millions of Linux-based devices exposedon January 18, 2021 at 9:06 am
A set of seven vulnerabilities, called DNSpooq, allows attackers to redirect users or execute malicious code. Patch dnsmasq now.
- Cloud Bucket Vulnerability Management in 2021on December 28, 2020 at 7:43 pm
Much like a file folder on your computer, buckets store data ... transition to cloud computing, recognizing vulnerabilities to your cloud bucket security and the action steps needed to resolve ...
- Top 10 cyber security stories of 2020on December 23, 2020 at 1:10 am
And as usual, we’ve not even begun to consider the impact of cyber crime. Here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 cyber security stories of 2020: Cyber criminals are targeting users of popular ...
The Latest Google Headlines on:
Security vulnerabilities in computerized cars
The Latest Bing News on:
Hacking autonomous cars
- The Unmanned Aircraft Systems Authentication System consortium announcedon January 21, 2021 at 1:31 am
Connected Places Catapult partners with IoT security start-up, ANGOKA partners and Cranfield University to protect drone communications in the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Authentication System (UASAS) ...
- Global Autonomous Commercial Vehicle Market Analysis and Growth Forecast to 2030 by Vehicle Autonomy, Vehicle Type, Fuel Type & Applicationon January 20, 2021 at 6:39 am
The "Autonomous Commercial Vehicle Market Research Report: By Vehicle Autonomy, Vehicle Type, Fuel Type, Application - Global Industry Analysis and Growth Forecast to 2030" report has been added to ...
- GM teams up with Microsoft on driverless carson January 19, 2021 at 1:15 pm
General Motors is teaming up with Microsoft to accelerate its rollout of electric, self-driving cars. In the partnership announced Tuesday, the companies said Microsoft’s Azure cloud and edge ...
- Microsoft backs GM's $30bn driverless car projecton January 19, 2021 at 10:12 am
Microsoft has invested in General Motors' driverless car company Cruise, joining a $2bn (£1.5bn) funding round that marks its biggest foray yet into the sector. The tech juggernaut was among a group ...
- Cybersecurity firm: Booting hackers a complex choreon January 19, 2021 at 6:07 am
Efforts to assess the impact of a more than seven-month-old cyberespionage campaign blamed on Russia — and boot the intruders — remain in their early stages, says the cybersecurity ...
- World's youngest self-made billionaire makes breakthrough in self-driving car technologyon January 19, 2021 at 5:18 am
On December 3, pink confetti rained down upon yet another tech entrepreneur. Decked out in his own interpretation of CEO casual 8211; a navy zip-up jacket ove ...
- Carmaker Stellantis shares jump in Milan, Paris on first dayon January 18, 2021 at 1:10 am
Stellantis, the car company combining PSA Peugeot and Fiat Chrysler, was launched Monday on the Milan and Paris stock exchanges, giving life to the fourth-largest auto company in the ...
- Those Hacked Source Code Breaches At Microsoft, Nissan, Mercedes Are Ominous Lessons For Self-Driving Carson January 17, 2021 at 8:30 am
A recent spate of source code breaches provides important cybersecurity lessons for those developing AI driving systems and self-driving cars.
- The world's youngest self-made billionaire hopes to power every future self-driving car with a technology that Elon Musk says is 'doomed'on January 17, 2021 at 5:47 am
Austin Russell, 25, became the youngest self-made billionaire after taking Luminar, which builds lidar sensors for self-driving cars, public.
- Driverless Cars Demand Air-Tight Cybersecurityon January 15, 2021 at 1:52 am
As autonomous vehicles develop, next-gen cybersecurity defenses are needed. Here’s how Kaspersky and AVL SFR are leading the way.
