18 March 2016, Washington : The FBI has warned that vehicles are increasingly vulnerable to unauthorised remote access by hackers and is calling for victims to report incidents.The notice, issued jointly with the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), said consumers and manufacturers need to be aware of the risks of car hacking.
The FBI and NHTSA are warning the general public and manufacturers – of vehicles, vehicle components, and aftermarket devices – to maintain awareness of potential issues and cybersecurity threats related to connected vehicle technologies in modern vehicles,” the agencies said in the bulletin.
“While not all hacking incidents may result in a risk to safety – such as an attacker taking control of a vehicle – it is important that consumers take appropriate steps to minimize risk,” the FBI bulletin said Thursday.
NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind told reporters in July 2015 that automakers must move fast to address hacking issues.
The Fiat Chrysler recall came after Wired magazine reported hackers could remotely take control of some functions of a 2014 Jeep Cherokee, including steering, transmission and brakes. NHTSA has said there has never been a real-world example of a hacker taking control of a vehicle.
The FBI bulletin Thursday warned that criminals could exploit online vehicle software updates by sending fake “e-mail messages to vehicle owners who are looking to obtain legitimate software updates.Instead, the recipients could be tricked into clicking links to malicious Web sites or opening attachments containing malicious software.”
The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and Association of Global Automakers, Two major U.S. auto trade associations opened an Information Sharing and Analysis Center late last year. The groups share cyber-threat information and potential vulnerabilities in vehicles.
(Image Credits: bbc)
