Another Reason to Avoid Modern Cars - Hackers Kill Jeep Remotely

[bludreamin]

http://www.wired.com/2015/07/hackers-remotely-kill-jeep-highway/

Seriously unnerving stuff... what jumped out at me was:
 

Aside from wireless hacks used by thieves to open car doors, only one malicious car-hacking attack has been documented: In 2010 a disgruntled employee in Austin, Texas, used a remote shutdown system meant for enforcing timely car payments to brick more than 100 vehicles. But the opportunities for real-world car hacking have only grown, as automakers add wireless connections to vehicles’ internal networks. Uconnect is just one of a dozen telematics systems, including GM Onstar, Lexus Enform, Toyota Safety Connect, Hyundai Bluelink, and Infiniti Connection.

A set of GPS coordinates, along with a vehicle identification number, make, model, and IP address, appears on the laptop screen. It’s a Dodge Ram. Miller plugs its GPS coordinates into Google Maps to reveal that it’s cruising down a highway in Texarkana, Texas. He keeps scanning, and the next vehicle to appear on his screen is a Jeep Cherokee driving around a highway cloverleaf between San Diego and Anaheim, California. Then he locates a Dodge Durango, moving along a rural road somewhere in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Yet another reason to hold onto my 2002 Corolla - no wireless connectivity there.

[Bajadoc]

You are focused on the wrong stuff. Reflect. What do you need in your life? Meet new people, make amends, forgive yourself, forgive those who wronged you, past decisions do not define you, move on.

[gimp]

On one hand, I would definitely rip out anything like onstar, and I would never buy a car that has networking sitting on a CAN bus - that's just terrible; those two things should be entirely separated (or, at most, have very limited contact through just a few hard-coded hard-wired functions.)

On the other hand, I am going to install a remote kill switch and gps tracker into my car.

The only difference is that I trust myself a lot more. Onstar... not so much. And, let's be honest, security by obscurity: I'll be the only one who knows exactly how to track it, how to kill it; someone else can figure it out if they really want to, but they won't have the knowledge by default.

[detroit_johnny]

Makes for a great news story but how many have been affected in real life so far?  ZERO.

Remember the media lives on your fear.  Sure anything is hackable, including nuclear power stations, the electric grid, banks, etc but to say you are going to forever own a 2002 car and never move forward is not the solution and sure if you need to rip out your radio then so be it.  You will hear about a credit card breach tomorrow and next week too, but how many of you still have your credit cards?

[bludreamin]

OK guess no more late night internet reading or posting from me on too little sleep. I wasn't clear and/or got the audience wrong. I meant it more as another talking point on the clown nature of cars, specifically new ones. I'm not advocating everyone have 2002 cars or wear shiny aluminum hats to keep "them" from tracking/stealing your thoughts. I know the "news" is about fear since fear sells - that's the reason I try to minimize reading it - except it seems to be my default when insomnia hits and I can't sleep (for reasons other than fear of cars being hijacked remotely). 

Before reading the article I wasn't thinking that I need to be concerned about network security on a car and I probably should have since anything can be hackable. My solution isn't to keep my 2002 car forever but to make sure when its time to start researching my next car purchase that I include network security along with fuel efficiency, reliability, etc. I'm just looking forward to not having to do that research for a while because my 2002 car still runs well, is reliable, and gets me from point a to point b safely and with minimal extra bells and whistles.

Gimp - thanks for your contribution. I agree with both your points. Since networking capabilities seem to be heading towards standard features network securiy is just one more thing to consider/research during car buying.  Definitely think DIY is the way to go if you want tracking capabilities.

[detroit_johnny]

Sorry blu if my response was a little harsh sounding.  I have a 2000 and 2007 car at my place none with any connectivity too; don't want to replace them either but not for the connectivity reason but just because of no payments of course  :-) 

I work in the auto industry and while my job is not too exciting there are other areas that are finally / suddenly going crazy fast and nuts in an industry that is mostly like watching paint dry at times.  Those areas are autonomous functions and remote connectivity.  So we are experiencing lots of fast developments, I think thanks mostly to companies like Google and Tesla competing in ways we have not seen in decades.  It is making for these remote security discoveries but since the industry decided to go "all in" on the internet, of course this type of stuff is coming with the territory. 

The media loves to pump up any little bump when someone on a cell phone texting runs into a Google car and proclaim it's the computer's fault.  Sorry to say in almost all cases so far it is the human at error.  While these are exciting times for autos it is also a time of lots of learning and the costs are and will be high until all of this is perfected.