If this doesn't give you a very bad case of the Heebie Jeebies, then nothing will!
Readers may recall that I wrote of a couple experiences I have had with my cars where the engine simply stopped running while on the highway, without any apparent cause. It happened in a Chrysler, and again in my Volvo. In both cars the engine would simply quit, but after waiting about a minute or two, the engine would again fire up and off I would go.
Mechanics were totally flabbergasted. They had no idea what the problem was. I suggested what turned out to be the cure for the Chrysler, a change of the motherboard in the car's computer system. In the case of the Volvo, the factory suggested a change of the main fuses.
Neither of these problems were due to a third person, sitting in the comfort of their home, hacking into my car's running system and taking control, but alarmingly, it has been demonstrated that in the case of new high tech vehicles, which are in effect computers-on-wheels, hackers can do some real damage. When someone with mal intent takes over this computer it will crash. When they take over a car and it does a crash the implications are shocking to even think about.
This places into question so many new developments. It appears that hackers can find their way into the operating system through the entertainment option. When that happens they have demonstrated the ability to take away all control from the driver, including control of the wheel, brakes, accelerator, clutch, musical sound and volume, to mention a few.
If your car is an automatic and you experience a problem where the accelerator gets stuck and you can't slow down, you should move the gear selector into neutral. The engine will rev and scream, but you will maintain control with your steering and brakes. Once you have stopped you can then turn the engine off. Do not turn the engine off before as you will lose all control!
It is unnerving to think that a person, perhaps sitting at his computer in another country, has the potential power to take over your car while you are underway and to tamper with it in any way his perverted mind may choose. It seems to me that manufacturers have an obligation to design out the possibility of security hacks even before they build the car. It is a shame that the human mind can be so sick that progress can be halted because of the deadly potential, but that is the reality.
Consider what that can mean for the new generation of cars that drive themselves, and for travel by air!
Brave New World Indeed!
Copyright (c) 2015 Eugene Carmichael
