Two computer-security experts took control of a speeding Jeep Cherokee by infiltrating the car's wireless communications system, raising concerns about the safety of Internet-connected vehicles, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Wired reporter Andy Greenberg recently asked hackers Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek to prove an exploit by gaining access to Greenberg's Jeep Cherokee as he sped down the St. Louis highway, which they did successfully, The Huffington Post reported.
"As the two hackers remotely toyed with the air-conditioning, radio, and windshield wipers, I mentally congratulated myself on my courage under pressure. That's when they cut the transmission," said Greenberg, according to Wired.
"Immediately my accelerator stopped working. As I frantically pressed the pedal and watched the RPMs climb, the Jeep lost half its speed, then slowed to a crawl. This occurred just as I reached a long overpass, with no shoulder to offer an escape. The experiment had ceased to be fun," he said.
"The most disturbing maneuver came when they cut the Jeep's brakes, leaving me frantically pumping the pedal as the 2-ton SUV slid uncontrollably into a ditch," Greenberg added.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, had a go at the hackers for revealing their ability to hack into the SUV's software and control everything from the car's air-conditioning to its transmission and speed remotely, using nothing but a laptop computer.
In response, the hackers, one of whom works for social Twitter and is a former analyst for the NSA, said that they had to draw attention to an issue that automobile manufacturers have ignored for years. Nearly all modern automobiles, not just the ones manufactured by Fiat Chrysler are equipped with computer controls and serve as potential targets for hackers.
Chrysler recently released a patch to the software that resolves the security issue, but it needs to be installed using a USB drive or by a dealer.
