Fiat Chrysler, commonly referred to us in America as Chrysler, has announced the recall of over one million vehicles due to cybersecurity concerns. It was discovered that the Dodge, Jeep, and Chrysler models that have a touch screens were hacked. Specifically hackers were reportedly able to shut off the cars’ engines or disable other essential functions like the brakes remotely, and it is believed that hackers can do so from a distance of several miles.
As a result of this discovery, Chrysler is recalling 1.4 million vehicles and offering to install a software security update to the vehicle for the owners. Investigators are not stopping at just these vehicles, however, and are looking to see if there are other vehicles which may be vulnerable to hacking as well. NBC Nightly News reported that hackers were able to take control of a Jeep over the Internet, and the New York Times reported that NHTSA realized they had a problem they had never faced but had long feared when the car company first phoned them over a week ago with news that two technology researchers had hacked wirelessly into a Jeep Cherokee, through its dashboard connectivity system. The Washington Post reported that researchers were able to connect to a Jeep Cherokee’s brakes and steering while the car was on the highway by accessing the car’s information and entertainment dashboard.
With the benefits that we gain from being able to access information in our car through an onboard touchscreen system, we must also weigh the potential problems. The entire field of driver assisted technology (DAT) is still in its early stages, and it will take time to work out the kinks. In the meanwhile, we should be vigilant to looking at the benefits, as well as the drawbacks, to all the new “bells and whistles” that we are offered in our cars, and for that matter just about every other product.
On a separate note, we will be taking the summer off and will return to the blog after Labor Day. Perhaps it is time to turn off the technology, sit back, relax, and truly enjoy your summer.
Thank you,
Michael K. Gillis, Esq.
GILLIS & BIKOFSKY, P.C.
1150 Walnut Street
Newton, MA 02461
Phone: 617-244-4300
Fax: 617-964-0862
E-mail: mgillis@gillisandbikofsky.com