I am seeing a lot of people posting the latest conspiracy scare: The one where the DARPA rep claims that cars can be "hacked" and the hacker can override the brakes and steering causing a crash. PLEASE STOP SPREADING THIS LIE! There are NO cars on the road today where this is possible. NONE! There are 3 different networks in a modern car (mandatory since 2008): CAN A (low speed, low priority - radio, etc) CAN B (Low speed, medium priority - ABS, electric steering, etc.) CAN C (high speed, high priority - ECM, TCM) The 3 are sharing wiring, but little else. Yes, a CAN A failure can cause driveability issues, but rarely a shut-down. Understand that yes, the CAN A network can be hacked via Bluetooth and the hacker can take control of things like GPS. In an extreme situation, they could create enough errors in the network hub (communications module, front control module, different makers use different names) to shut the car down, but they can NOT override brakes or steering. OnStar DOES have the ability to remotely shut down the car - and has been used to stop police chases and whatnot, but again, they can not control the brakes or steering. NHTSA REQUIRES that ALL cars sold in the US MUST have a mechanical link to the brakes and the steering that will still function if the "assist" portion fails. Effective in MY 2012, a software update was mandated that requires the brake switch to be the dominant sensor. In other words, if there is a brake signal and a throttle signal, the brake signal overrides the throttle and the throttle returns to idle. (prior to 2012, both were equal and the throttle and brake could be pressed simultaneously) Finally, keep in mind that to effectively hack the Bluetooth network, you have to be within 25 feet at all times AND hack the system AND the operator can not push a button or enter a command (seriously, when your radio or GPS does something stupid or odd, what is the first thing you do? start pressing buttons, right? This would kick the hacker out) To effectively hack the electric steering or ABS, you would have to gain access to the OBD port under the dash and maintain a PHYSICAL connection with a proper scan tool. So please stop... we have MUCH bigger things to fight than some misquoted and misunderstood talking points.
Posted on: Sat, 13 Jul 2013 02:41:11 +0000
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