Skip to main content

Hackers Find Ways to Remotely Control Cars, Terror to Ensue

Engadget is reporting that a team of researchers have discovered a way to hack the onboard computer of certain cars. Once the hackers are in, they can access the car’s computer wirelessly, even while driving in another car next to the hacked vehicle. They can then affect the car by turning on hazard lights, flashing the brights, and even rolling down the windows. Or they could disable the brakes and lock the engine while you are driving at speed, sending you to a horrible death.

In our increasingly digital world, fear of the hacker has become all encompassing, one that acts as justification for the overreactions of many. Yes, malicious hackers are a problem- a nuisance to some, a criminal threat to others- but hackers are not magic. They can’t destroy cities (looking at you Live Free or Die Hard)- if they could, someone would have done it, then posted online how they just pwned a city. For the most part, hackers are just people that are curious to see how much they can get away with. It is a challenge to break the code of something- and the vast majority of hacks are harmless, and don’t really have any negative effects. Many are even useful and designed to test security, in the same way someone might push a door to make sure it is sound. And then there are some hacks that can scare the crap out of you.

The university researchers were testing to see how tight security of computers inside of cars are, and the answer is that there is hardly any security at all. The researchers needed to have a physical connection to initially access the car’s Engine Control Unit (ECU). Once they do have that access, they can control the entire operations of the car wirelessly, and tell the car to ignore the driver’s input.

For the test, researchers were able to connect wirelessly to a car’s ECU, and disable the brakes while it was driving. The test also proved that they could seize the engine, and even brake certain wheels, which would send the car sliding before potentially flipping over.

The test concluded that the security of ECUs is essentially nonexistent. If someone can gain access, you are in trouble. The good news is that the person hacking the ECU would need physical access to the car’s computer, so in that sense the security needed is the same as preventing car theft.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Ryan Fleming
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Ryan Fleming is the Gaming and Cinema Editor for Digital Trends. He joined the DT staff in 2009 after spending time covering…
Power up your tech game this summer with Dell’s top deals: Upgrade for a bargain
Dell Techfest and best tech on sale featured.

One of the best times to upgrade your tech stack, be it your desktop, a new laptop, or some high-resolution monitors, is when great deals are to be had. Well, I'm here to share that thanks to Dell's top deals, you can power up your tech game and have most of the summer to make it happen. Maybe you're happy with your current system or setup. That's excellent, but you're likely considering upgrading somewhere, and that's precisely what these deals are all about. Dell has a smorgasbord of deals on laptops, desktops, gaming desktops, monitors, accessories, and so much more. We'll call out a few of our favorite deals below, but for now, know that you should be shopping this sale if you're interested in anything tech-related.

 
What summer tech should you buy in Dell's top deals?

Read more
I love the MacBook Pro, but this Windows laptop came surprisingly close
Apple MacBook Pro 16 downward view showing keyboard and speaker.

There are some great machines in the 15-inch laptop category, which has recently been stretched to include the more common 16-inch laptop. The best among them is the Apple MacBook Pro 16, which offers fast performance for tasks like video editing and the longest battery life.

The Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i 16 is aimed not only at other 16-inch Windows laptops but also at the MacBook Pro 16. It offers many of the same benefits but at a lower price. Can it take a place at the top?
Specs and configurations

Read more
How to set an ‘Out of Office’ message in Microsoft Teams
Person using Windows 11 laptop on their lap by the window.

Many people use Microsoft Teams regularly to communicate with colleagues both inside of the office and remotely. It is considered one of the most efficient ways to ensure you can stay in contact with the people on your team, but what if you need to let people know you’re not readily available? Microsoft Teams has a method for you to set up an "Out of Office" status for your profile to let staff members know when you’ll be gone for the afternoon, for several days on vacation, or for an extended period.
Where do I go to set up my ‘Out of Office’ status for Teams?
It is important to note that your Microsoft Teams and Outlook calendars are synced. This includes your out-of-office status and automatic replies. So, whatever you set up in Microsoft Teams will reflect in Outlook. Similarly, you can set up your out-of-office status in Outlook, and it will be reflected in Teams; however, the former has a more straightforward instruction.

First, you can click on your profile icon in Teams and go directly to Schedule an out of office, as a shortcut. This will take you to the settings area where you can proceed. You can also click the three-dot icon next to your profile icon, then go to Settings > General, then scroll down to the bottom of the page. There, you'll find out-of-office settings and click Schedule.

Read more