Car hacking risk may be broader

Washington – The cybersecurity issues that led Fiat Chrysler to recall 1.4 million vehicles last month could pose a problem for cars and trucks from other car companies the top US vehicle safety regulator said on Friday.

Mark Rosekind, who heads the National Transportation Safety Administration, said his watchdog agency is trying to determine how many carmakers received wireless components from the same company that supplied Fiat Chrysler.

“The supplier didn’t just supply radios to Chrysler but to a lot of other manufacturers,” Rosekind told reporters. “A lot of our work now is trying to find out how broad the vulnerability could be.”

In the first action of its kind for the motor industry, Fiat Chrysler last week announced the recall 1.4 million US vehicles to install software to prevent hackers from gaining remote control of the engine, steering and other systems.

The announcement by FCA followed reports that cybersecurity researchers had used a wireless connection to turn off a Jeep Cherokee’s engine as it drove, increasing concerns about the safety of Internet-enabled vehicles.

SHOT ACROSS THE BOW

The researchers used Fiat Chrysler’s telematics system to break into a volunteer’s Cherokee being driven on the highway and issue commands to the engine, steering and brakes.

“This is the shot across the bow. Everybody’s been saying ‘cybersecurity’. Now you’ve got to step up,” Rosekind said. “You’ve got to see the entire industry proactively dealing with these things.”

NHTSA has already been in contact with the Jeep Cherokee researchers and hopes to learn more not only about their work but how serious a reaction they have seen from the auto industry.

“It’s not just about the hack. It’s what the response from the industry has been to see whether or not their issues have been acknowledged and what they’re planning. And that’s the part we have to see going forward,” Rosekind said.

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