Can They Hack Your Car’s Computer?

By Bill Doyle

Every time the subject of self-driving cars has come up on the show, someone has called in to bring up the specter of having the computerized car hacked. Is that a legitimate concern? Would they really be able to hack into a self-driven car's computer?

The answer, according to an article at the Daily Breeze, is: they already can. That's right, hackers were able to hack into the computer systems of current cars and take control of it. The article cites one method where the hackers plugged into a car through its port under the dashboard, but the more nefarious incident involved gaining access through the car's bluetooth and cell phone capability. I should point out that these hackers were "good guys" looking for security holes that people with more sinister intentions could exploit.

What were the hackers able to do with the hacked vehicles? Exactly what you're afraid of them doing: slamming on the brakes when the car is at highway speed, jerking the steering wheel, and shutting down the engine. The Daily Breeze piece does point out that it took the hackers months to hack the cars, but time frame is expected to shrink.

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