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agesilaus's avatar
agesilaus
Explorer III
Jul 21, 2015

Chrysler vehicles can be hacked

Extreme Tech

ET is not always the most reliable of sources. I know that I have called them out on items which were away from their zone of expertize. But this is about computers which they do know something about.
  • If you are concerned, There are still a LOT of cars and trucks on the road every day that cannot be hacked, as they do not have any type of computers at all. A distributor with points, condenser and a coil will run just fine without a computer.
  • WIFI is not in itself, an internet connection. If you don't believe, just pull the internet connection from your WiFi router or server. Bingo! Wifi access to the router, and there it quits! This was illustrated at Gulf Shores State Park earlier this year. They had strong wifi signal and connections everywhere in the park, you could connect very easy. But that is as far as it went! There was no Internet connection as it had been overloaded and shut down.
  • BenK wrote:
    Doesn't need Internet connection, etc...Blue Tooth or WiFi will do just fine...

    Even then, if they can access the diagnostic port...direct link to the vehicles
    network...


    ? What do you think WIFI is, if it isn't an Internet connection?
  • Doesn't need Internet connection, etc...Blue Tooth or WiFi will do just fine...

    Even then, if they can access the diagnostic port...direct link to the vehicles
    network...
  • Read the article. They also had the additional step of re writing the jeeps firmware. But the hack took place 10 miles away. The modules all share the can bus on a new vehicle. If you make it past the radio module and into the vehicle network and if you know the module addresses and command to feed those modules, you're in business.
  • sch911 wrote:
    CORRECTION: All vehicles can be hacked.


    There is no doubt that any vehicle with an IP Address needs to have a solid firewall between it and the operating system of the vehicle. There should be no internet connectivity at that level. I have no idea if someone could grab the IP address of a vehicle remotely but they should not be able to do so.
  • This article from Wired is what the ExtremeTech article is summarizing. It's a very real thing - Chrysler released a patch for it this week, but it's a manual install. Expect to see a lot more stories like this in the coming years.

    The auto makers are going to make all the same security mistakes that computer companies have made over the past 30 years because they think they know what they're doing and they don't. Car companies don't make good software just like appliance companies don't, cable companies don't, stereo companies don't and on and on.
  • Remember when Tony Soprano would buy a new Caddy, he would always have the Onstar system ripped out. :D

    My Ford has Sync by Microsoft on board. There's probably Chinese hackers riding with me every day.

    PS- any designer who created ANY connectivity between a vehicle's powertrain systems and infotainment / comms is just asking for trouble. :S
  • Everytime I see this being exhibited on TV, they have a guy sitting in the passenger seat with a lap top and a wire connected to the vehicle.
    I think I would notice that.. :B

    However, FCA has software updates (some owners can download it themselves) to add a safety factor.