Could cybercriminals hijack connected cars? Your Say

Two hackers remotely controlled a network-connected Jeep Cherokee and managed to kill the vehicle’s brakes and transmission, “Wired” magazine reports. Comments from Facebook are edited for clarity and grammar: 

Why are these systems even legal? People drive poorly enough without an Internet-connected display in front of them. And if we’re going to have them, who thought connecting them to the car’s internal computer was a good idea?

— Gene Smith

There is such a thing as overconnectivity. And we have reached it.

— Rich Barnes

New technology such as driverless cars will dramatically cut down on the number of people who die every year in automobile accidents. Also, hybrid and electric cars definitely need computers.

— Shawn Swift

The way to keep those cars safe is to not allow them on the roads. It’s doubtful that any standards or safety features will be able to stop terrorists or just plain hackers from killing people.

— Jackcj Rangler

Installing third-party software into a system and then using it is almost exactly what people who write viruses/malware aim to do. It doesn’t matter whether you call it hacking or not; it’s still a vulnerability. Thinking the threat is not significant is exactly what gets organizations into trouble. That said, this might not be a plausible, real-world threat at the moment, but it definitely could be down the road.

— Brian Crowder