Internet-enabled Cars Vulnerable to Attack, says Expert

Is your car less likely than your desktop computer to be infected with malware?

The answer may surprise you. Security expert Mark O'Neill believes that automotive companies need to think very carefully about protecting the high-tech vehicles they're now offering consumers in greater numbers than ever before.

O'Neill currently serves as vice president of innovation at UK-based software firm Axway. His scary prediction for 2014 is that we'll see far more hackers target vehicles than in previous years.

More Malicious Attacks Coming, Expert Says

"I think we are going to see more malicious attacks," O'Neill said. "If someone finds a vulnerability in an Internet-enabled car, you could have the same situation that you have now for [web] browsers."

So, what could a hacker do to an unprotected connected car?

The possibilities are frightening, to say the least. The scariest scenario would involve zero-day attacks, or attacks that hackers learn about long before security experts become aware of the threat.

"If someone finds a zero day attack that can ... [exploit] ... a car, you could see people paying a lot of money for that," O'Neill said. "There could become a market for zero day attacks on cars."

Considering that an Internet-enabled car is not much different than PC, it's certainly plausible that any part of the system could be overridden - including door unlocks, brakes, steering, and more.

Automotive Firms Lagging Behind Hackers

The good news is that a number of automotive and technology firms have cooperated in bringing connected cars to market; this cooperation could easily be extended to focus on security.

The bad news is that, right now, there are few automotive companies willing to talk at length about security threats to their connected vehicles.

Part of the problem may be that it's not clear how these firms, the government, or law enforcement officials will work together to combat hacker attacks.

"I think the privacy legislation will have to be updated to deal with [these] scenarios," O'Neill says. "By its very nature, a car can travel between jurisdictions -- to at least aline that [fact] with law across jurisdictions will be important."

What's Your Opinion?

Do you own an Internet-enabled car and are you worried that it could be maliciously controlled by a third-party? Could the government or NSA (National Security Agency) 'hack' your car? Tell us what you think - respond below!