4 ways in which hackers can take control of your car...

Cyber ​​attacks are no longer limited to computers and smart phones only, as cars have also become a target for hackers after they include many modern technologies that help automate everything. But are there really car hacking incidents?

According to Al Arabiya, Ray Walsh, a security expert at ProPrivacy, says: “The experience of hacking a Jeep Cherokee in 2015 was the beginning of the wave of fear and anxiety about hacking into cars, as security researchers (Charlie Miller) and (Chris Vallasik) managed ) From penetrating a Jeep Cherokee remotely and manipulating its settings by operating the air conditioner, opening and closing windows, and using windshield wipers with pumping wiper fluid to impede the driver’s vision.

This matter did not happen in reality, but it was a practical experiment of how to exploit the weaknesses of this car, and during the experiment the car veered from the road, due to the suspension of the throttle function, and here a state of fear appeared among many about the ability of pirates to control the automated cars driving and interfering in Command Operations. But according to Walsh, the risk of a car hack has proven not to be a purely theoretical threat.

If a Jeep Cherokee is hacked, Walsh says: “It is theoretically possible that the windshield wipers could be disabled and with the wiper fluid being pumped into the windshield this would impede the driver’s field of vision, and this could lead to a collision and possibly loss of life.”

As a result of this experiment, Chrysler recalled up to 1.4 million cars to repair the vulnerabilities that the researchers discovered during the experiment, and this is evidence of a real problem and not just a theoretical problem, and it could have been exploited, which could lead to accidents and loss of life. And accordingly, car manufacturers have paid more attention to revealing vulnerabilities since then.

Until now; There have been no reported cases of car accidents resulting from this type of cyber attack, but this does not mean that car hacks cannot occur. Experts say: “It is possible that there are successful car theft cases due to car hacks, which the authorities have considered as normal car theft incidents.”

It is also expected that the likelihood of such attacks will increase with the arrival of more smart cars to the market. Walsh says: “There is a very real risk of car hacks as they may be used in secret assassinations.” Thus, modern technology has become one of the things that pose great security risks.

1- Clone the car key:

Cars with electronic unlocking systems are among the cars most vulnerable to this type of attack, because wireless transmitters are sold over the Internet and allow hackers to easily clone the car key, allowing them to unlock and operate it.

Last March, researchers at KU Leuven University in Belgium and the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom revealed new security holes in the encryption systems used in immobilizers inside cars, which are devices that use radio waves inside cars to communicate with the key fob to unlock the car. Remotely.

One of these systems used by the most well-known car manufacturers – including Toyota, Hyundai and Kia – allows a hacker to use a relatively inexpensive Proxmark RFID device to derive the secret encryption value.

Until now; More than 100 models from 27 companies have been revealed that are at risk of this type of attack and if a criminal manages to breach the keyless entry system, he can easily operate your vehicle and steal it.

2- Theft of your personal data:

Because there are many vulnerabilities in programs and operating systems, hackers can steal your personal information and sell it through your car that is connected to the Internet, and it is possible that any information that you download into your car system or the application of your car in the phone is at risk.

In addition, some reports indicated that if you buy a used car connected to the Internet, the previous owner of the car can access all the data of the current car owner. Some people who have purchased used cars from BMW, Jaguar Land Rover and Mercedes-Benz have stated that previous owners maintain unrestricted access to data and connected vehicle controls after resale.

The failure of car rental companies to delete personal information that customers enter when renting cars into their integrated infotainment systems has also been documented. Leaking this type of personal information represents a significant security risk, as it has the potential to include passwords, health data, and driving patterns.

3- Control of the car’s driving system

As we mentioned at the beginning of the article; It is possible that hackers have remote access to the internal systems of your car, and this may mean that they can control everything inside the car, even control the driving system itself, such as: brake control or increase the speed to the limit that exposes the driver to an accident.

4- Hacking the USB port

According to the list of security vulnerabilities that can be exploited to penetrate cars and alerted by the (esurance) insurance company, the (USB) port in your car is a major risk. Even just listening to music through the port can infect your car system with malicious software, because if your phone is hacked by any means, connecting it to a USB port gives hackers access to the car system and this is only one of the reasons why you should stop charging your phone in your car, or be keen on Secure your phone by all available means.