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Thread ID: 120437	2011-09-08 14:53:00	New Security Threat --------------- To Your Car?	SurferJoe46 (51)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
1229775	2011-09-08 14:53:00	McAfee appears to be on the cutting edge of new car security - and why not? They totally flubbed internet security with their bloated junkware and need some job security and cash flow to keep the hot-and-cold running secretaries in the upper offices . This may or may not be a viable arena for their so-called security system . I just don't believe they are capable of anything worthwhile . An analysis by computer security giant McAfee titled “Caution: Malware Ahead” suggests that the large amount of electronics being used in cars today is making them increasingly vulnerable to hack attacks, even by something as simple as text message . Embedded systems, including those for engine management, active cruise control and airbags, now live side by side with telematics that connect vehicles to wireless communication devices and the “cloud” through services like Ford’s Sync and General Motors’ OnStar, which has the ability to shut down cars and unlock doors remotely . Get in one virtual door and the others may be even easier to open . Many automakers also offer programs and apps that give owners the ability to start their car via their smartphones, remotely set charging times for plug-ins like the Chevy Volt and track the location of vehicles, creating further avenues into their computer systems . Conversely, once they have accessed the brains of a car, intruders could theoretically use them to retrieve personal information from connected devices . It’s the 21st century version of a car thief rifling through a purse found in a glove compartment . While the report notes that there have been no known malicious attacks on cars fitted with factory equipment, it does sight one incident where a disgruntled former employee of a car dealership disabled 100 cars by manipulating an aftermarket security system that had been installed on them . Additionally, McAfee cites an experiment done by researchers at the Center for Automotive Embedded Systems Security where they were able to access safety components in a vehicle via a wired connection and again using Bluetooth . For its part, the automotive industry is aware of the risks and constantly working on defenses against what is viewed as an evolving threat . Through the Society of Automotive Engineers, the industry has set up a Vehicle Electrical System Security Committee to develop broad strategies to prevent breaches and mitigate undesirable effects of successful ones . General Motors spokesman Dan Flores tells FoxNews . com that GM considers “vehicle security a top priority and we are focused on equipping our vehicles with both the features and security protections our customers want and need . ” According to Chrysler engineering communications manager Vince Muniga, his company’s programmers regularly update the software needed to keep hackers out of their cars and bombard the vehicles with every type of electronic signal imaginable, not only to search for interference that can cause glitches in the systems, but to discover back doors that hackers could use to get into their electronic architecture . Nevertheless, Muniga concedes that “if someone spends eight months trying to unlock the doors, they probably can, but we try to make the firewalls as bulletproof as possible . ” To ensure that Sync isn’t used as a gateway to more critical systems, Ford technology spokesman Alan Hall says that it and the infotainment systems it works with are completely isolated from the vehicle control systems . Any devices that connect to it through Bluetooth or USB also have to use digital signatures approved by Ford, and Hall adds that the automaker does its best to keep up with new practices in the hacking world and regularly runs simulated attacks using the latest methods . Just like their counterparts working on the Web, the key to cybersecurity for automakers appears to be trying to stay one step ahead of would be hackers and making things as difficult as possible for them by remaining a moving target, something they have more than a little experience with outside of the cyberworld . Read more: . foxnews . com/leisure/2011/09/07/report-says-cars-face-growing-threat-hack-attacks/#ixzz1XMrvJvtX" target="_blank">www . foxnews . com Ford has a nasty habit of using shared buses for their current engine management data systems and if they have followed that same ignorant pattern, they've done it here too and co-mingled operation and entertainment on the same shared ports and read:write parsing . I think there's a whole new world for hackers out there to create some rather interesting mayhem . Will there be Update Tuesdays for your car now too?	SurferJoe46 (51)
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