Car software security

I stumbled across an article on car software viruses. I did not see anything unexpected really. The experts “hope” to get it all fixed before the word gets out and things start getting messy. Which tells us that things are in a pretty bad shape right now. The funny thing is though that the academic group that did the research into vehicle software security was disbanded after working for two years and publishing a couple of damning papers, demonstrating that “the virus can simultaneously shut off the car’s lights, lock its doors, kill the engine and release or slam on the brakes.” An interesting side note is that the car’s system is available to “remotely eavesdrop on conversations inside cars, a technique that could be of use to corporate and government spies.” This goes in stark contrast to what car manufactures are willing to disclose: “I won’t say it’s impossible to hack, but it’s pretty close,” said Toyota spokesman John Hanson. Basically, all you can hope for is that they are “working hard to develop specifications which will reduce that risk in the vehicle area.” I don’t know, mate, I think I better stay with the good old trustworthy mechanic stuff. I guess I know too much about software security for my own good. I kinda feel they will be inevitably hacked. Scared? If there is a manual override for everything – not so much but… The second-hand car market suddenly starts looking very appealing by comparison…