Security researchers have found that 471,000 Chrysler vehicles are vulnerable to infiltration at the hands of hackers, according to Gizmodo.
Hackers can take complete control of the cars from thousands of miles away. The claims were put to the test by longtime hackers Chris Valasek and Charlie Miller. The duo demonstrated how it is possible to hack into the vehicles computers to Andy Greenberg, a journalist for Wired.
Greenberg took a Jeep Grand Cherokee onto the highway outside of St. Louis, while Valasek and Miller did what they do best. Infiltrating the Jeep's Uconnect system, they were able to take over the Cherokee's entertainment system. The hackers were then able to access important command systems such as brakes, transmission and steering by rewriting the computers firmware. Greenberg had this to say, according to Gizmodo.
"As the two hackers remotely toyed with the air-conditioning, radio, and windshield wipers, I mentally congratulated myself on my courage under pressure. That's when they cut the transmission. Immediately my accelerator stopped working. As I frantically pressed the pedal and watched the RPMs climb, the Jeep lost half its speed, then slowed to a crawl. This occurred just as I reached a long overpass, with no shoulder to offer an escape. The experiment had ceased to be fun."
Although Jeep is aware of the weak link in its system, they do not seem to bothered by the issue, which may cause concern among Jeep owners. However, the automakers have released a patch for the Uconnect software problem, according to NBC News, which needs to be installed by a dealer or using a USB drive.
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