NBC Nightly News reported that a new Congressional report warns that automobiles have “significant security and privacy gaps” rendering them prone to hacking. Senator Ed Markey is quoted saying, “You don’t need a crowbar to break into a car. You just need an iPad to hack into the computer system to take control.” NBC (Alexander) explains that hackers can break in “through bluetooth or built-in cell phone systems designed to connect you to an operator in an emergency,” though “so far there’s no record of any car being maliciously hacked into on the road in the real world.”
ABC World News reported that the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers “says its members ‘pledge to provide heightened protections’ and are making ‘aggressive efforts to ensure that we are advancing safety.’” ABC (Jarvis) adds that “fifty percent of the cars sold this year have this wireless technology. It’s up to car companies to fix the problem.”
A Detroit Free Press article picked up by USA Today reports that Markey calls on the US automotive industry “to adopt a rating system that would tell consumers how well cars are when it comes to preventing cybersecurity attacks.” The article notes that Alliance in November introduced privacy principles based on “what automakers have already been doing.” An Alliance statement is quoted saying, “The industry is in the early stages of establishing a voluntary automobile industry sector information sharing and analysis center – or other comparable program – for collecting and sharing information about existing or potential cyber-related threats.”
The AP cites Markey saying “lawmakers need to work with the industry and cyber-security experts to establish clearer rules to guarantee the safety and privacy of drivers.”
From the news release of the American Association for Justice.
