Researchers Are Studying Ways to Prevent Car-Hacking

It’s no surprise that your phone might be hacked. But it might come as a shock that hackers could probably take control of your vehicle. That’s a scary thought, but one that automakers are trying to block with the help of those who know best: the hackers themselves.

In recent experiments, hackers took control of several vehicles to demonstrate how it easy it could be for them to gain access. Here, we’ll talk about the experiments, and what you can learn from them to better secure your own vehicle.

Read More: How to Tell if Your Android Has Been Hacked

What were the experiments?
Automotive hackers took control of a Ford Escape and a Toyota Prius. The hackers took control of the cars by breaching the car’s security system software. They stopped and started engines, took over the steering and brake, and changed the speedometer readings — all virtually. In the Prius, for example, the hackers red-lined the engine, eventually forcing the car to stop.

Today, computers control all of a car’s major functions. Most cars have 50 to 80 computers — called electronic control units.

What was the response?
These hackers published a paper describing the methods and code they used to take control of the vehicles. The goal of the experiments was to open the conversation about the topic. The research paper described how they accessed and transmitted code by hacking into cars’ networks.

What can you do to protect your vehicle?
The news, sadly, is you can’t do much. Overall, most car security systems are mysterious. Other research teams have also conducted studies on how cars can be manipulated virtually — while ignoring driver controls. This could be a real concern to drivers — someone could take control of their car to crash it or otherwise maliciously manipulate it. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also opened a 12-member coalition to deal with increasing cyber threats against vehicles.

While these threats could be a concern, you don’t have much to worry about. Cases of cyber hacked cars are rare — if entirely unheard of outside of these experiments.

We might not be able to secure your car, but we definitely can protect your phone from hackers. PSafe Total’s unmatched Anti-virus system scans your phone files and SD cards 24 hours a day to make sure hackers can’t get hold of your information.