Two security experts have created technology that they believe will keep vehicles safe from cyber-attacks.
Researchers Chris Valasek and Charlie Miller exposed methods for hacking the Toyota Prius and Ford Escape at last summer's Def Con hacking conference in Las Vegas. At the event they described ways to launch dangerous attacks, like manipulating the brakes of a moving Prius or Escape vehicle.
Valasek said to Reuters this week that he and Miller are prepared to show a prototype vehicle "intrusion prevention device" at next month's Black Hat hacking conference in Las Vegas.
The device was built with about $150 in electronics parts, though the real "secret sauce" is a set of computer algorithms that listen to traffic in a car's network to understand how things are supposed to work, according to Reuters.
If an attack occurs, the device identifies traffic anomalies and blocks "rogue activity," according to Valasek.
The two experts decided to pursue the project because they wanted to try helping car companies identify ways to defend against security vulnerabilities in their products.
"I really don't care if you hack my browser and steal my credit card," Valasek said, according to Reuters. "But crashing a car is life or death. It is dramatic. We wanted to be part of the solution."
Research conducted by the two has raised concerns that one day somebody might try to replicate their work to launch a real-life attack.
The auto industry as a whole has increased efforts to identify and mitigate cybersecurity risks over the past couple of years.
"Cyber security is a global concern and it is a growing threat for all industries, including the automotive," said Jack Pokrzywa, manager of global ground vehicle standards with SAE International, a group that represents industry engineers.
Pokrzywa declined to comment on the specifics of the new technology from Miller and Valasek. He did add that any solution that reduces cyber threats is "a step in the right direction," according to Reuters.
Ford and Toyota have not commented on the news yet.
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a statement this week that it is not aware of any incidents of consumer vehicle control systems having been hacked, according to Reuters.
Check out a video below of the two showing how a car could be hacked.
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