How Hackable is Your Car?

If you own a Cadillac Escalade, a Jeep Cherokee, or an Infiniti Q50, you are at risk, big time!  The findings of Miller and Valasek are in the following table. A plus sign represents “more hackable,” while a minus sign “less hackable.” In the two researchers’ analysis, three vehicles were ranked as “most hackable”: the 2014 models of the Infiniti Q50, Jeep Cherokee, and the 2015 model of the Cadillac Escalade. The full results, summarized in the chart below, show that the 2010 and 2014 Toyota Prius didn’t fare well either.

 

Why does this happen? This happens because of the "remote access" features of the vehicle, which includes things such as remote start that are tied into the same "CANBUS" (Canbus, which was developed by Bosch,  allows automotive components to communicate on a single or dual-wire networked data bus.) in the vehicle that controls life-critical functions such as the transmission, brakes and accelerator! 

So, when you are driving down the road the next time remember that all those conveniences, such as all your bluetooth devices, maybe putting your life at risk.