Thousands Of ‘Hackable’ SUVs Recalled
Fiat Chrysler is recalling over 7,500 SUVs in the United States over some shocking hacking concerns.
After two hackers, in partnership with Fiat Chrysler (or at least with the company’s knowledge, according to a Fortune online article), managed to hack into the transmission system of a 2014 Jeep Cherokee SUV, Fiat Chrysler decided to recall over a million SUVs last July, and recently decided to recall 7,810 more.
Extremely skilled hackers can remotely hack into the transmission system of certain models of SUVs manufactured by Fiat Chrysler and can even shut down the transmission itself while an individual is actually driving the vehicle.
According to The Hill, the car manufacturer is recalling certain SUVs “that are equipped with a radio vulnerable to hacking.”
This is what the Chrysler hack recall letter looks like. It comes with a Secure USB.
From https://t.co/YOafHlFhJM pic.twitter.com/bV6NXKSOLv
— @mikko (@mikko) September 4, 2015
The hacking operation, however, would be extremely complicated for most hackers to pull off easily, according to Fiat.
The company described the vulnerability in the recalled SUVS as needing “unique and extensive technical knowledge, prolonged physical access to a subject vehicle and extended periods of time to write code.”
If the SUVs require such highly-skilled hackers to even think of trying to pull off such an act, why did Fiat Chrysler decide to go ahead with the recall? Apart from the tests that were made, were there any other cases in which someone was injured and, therefore, the company felt compelled to recall these SUVs?
“The Company is unaware of any injuries related to software exploitation, nor is it aware of any related complaints, warranty claims or accidents – independent of the media demonstration,” NBC News quoted Fiat Chrysler as saying in a statement it issued on Friday.
“FCA US is conducting this campaign out of an abundance of caution.”
Reuters mentioned that the latest Fiat Chrysler recall involves 2015 Jeep Renegade SUVs that are equipped with 6.5-inch touchscreen radios.
Fiat Chrysler U.S. to recall 7,810 SUVs to prevent hacking http://t.co/S0IN30j4Oc
— Reuters Business (@ReutersBiz) September 4, 2015
The good news is that more than half of the SUVs Fiat Chrysler have recalled are still parked in the dealerships and have not been sold yet. The company said they will fix the flaw in those vehicles before they are sold.
The latest Fiat Chrysler recalls – Friday’s recall of over 7,000 SUVs and July’s recall of over a million – has raised more concerns about cybersecurity and the potential threat defective “smart” cars may have on drivers, pedestrians, and other vehicles on the road if they are not properly updated and their bugs patched and taken care of.
[Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images]
