Hi-tech cars risk being hacked and turned into 'bombs on wheels', warn motor industry chiefs

Modern hi-tech cars risk being hacked and turned into remotely controlled 'bombs on wheels' unless more is done to vet garage mechanics who service them, motor industry chiefs warned.

Failure to have properly qualified and regulated technicians creates security flaws that leave connected vehicles vulnerable to cyber-terrorists and criminals with evil intent, according to the respected Institute of the Motor Industry.

The warning echoes scenes in the latest blockbuster Fast and the Furious film and the risk will intensify with the move towards greater self-driving autonomous technology in vehicles, said the professional body.

'Bomb on wheels': The IMI said it wants more action to protect self-driving and connected cars from hackers who could use vehicles as weapons for terror attacks

Modern cars already feature self-braking, self-parking and self-steering lane-control functions and technology is moving rapidly towards more features.

The weakest link compromising in-car security is unvetted garage staff with access to a car's on-board computer system, the industry's professional body concluded.

The scenario has chilling echoes of the new The Fate of the Furious movie (the eighth in the Fast and the Furious franchise) starring Charlize Theron as cyber-terrorist Cipher who hacks dozens of self-driving cars to crash them in scenes of havoc in New York.

It also coincides with the IMI's own poll for a new report ^[1] showing that more than half (51 per cent) of motorists fear their increasingly hi-tech cars could be taken-over and controlled by computer hackers.

Almost as many motorists (47 per cent) are concerned that their vehicle could be stolen remotely, too.

A spokesman for the IMI said: 'It's a serious situation. Cars could be turned into bombs on wheels that are remotely controlled by terrorists. You don't have to have a terrorist on board. It's risk free to them. This our main concern.'

He added: 'We have already seen what has happened in France and Germany where lorries have been hijacked and used as deadly weapons. And in Westminster recently we saw how a car was used to terrible and lethal effect.

'Imagine if perpetrators did not need not be in the cars themselves.'

The theory of hacking cars to use as weapons features in the latest The Fast and the Furious film

Charlize Theron plays a cyber-terrorist called Cipher who crashes a number of self-driving cars during chaotic scenes in the Fate of the Furious. Here she's pictured with Vin Diesel, who plays main character Dominic Toretto in the franchise

Professor Jim Saker at Loughborough University said in a study commissioned by the IMI: 'One of the major issues being addressed within the industry is that of cyber security within cars.

'The ability to influence the running of a vehicle remotely is available now.

'The potential for criminal or terrorist activity utilising vehicles is yet to have been fully exploited, but the manufacturers are already looking at protecting vehicles from cyber- attack.'

'The most vulnerable time for a car to be affected is at the point where a car is being serviced. The technician has access to all of the cars operating systems and data communication portals.

'Under the current regulatory arrangement, there is no registration of technicians, no security checks and no tests of competence.

'The prospect that an autonomous car can be driven loaded with explosives at a target raises major concerns for counter-terrorism organisations.'

Almost nine in 10 (86 per cent) of those surveyed by the IMI said vehicle technicians 'should be qualified and regulated to carry out repairs'.

Some 47 per cent of car owners surveyed by the IMI said they are concerned that hackers could steal their vehicles remotely

The report said new technology gives drivers important benefits such as alerts about vehicle faults and servicing and details of vehicle performance.

But it also warned: 'Many drivers and passengers are unaware of the security risks of today's connected vehicles.

'Some 50 per cent of people surveyed by the IMI said they aren't aware that their car is open to cyber-attacks, much like a home computer, and in fact can be controlled and stolen using Wi-Fi technology by anyone accessing the onboard computer systems.

'But 51 per cent of respondents said that 'they do fear their car being accessed and controlled by a hacker.'

IMI FINDINGS

The IMI's survey of 907 respondents showed:

51% fear their car being accessed and controlled by a hacker. :: 47% are concerned that their car could be stolen remotely using Wi-Fi technology.

50% aren't aware a car is open to cyber-attack much like a home computer. :: 43% have integrated satnav and phone capabilities in their vehicle.

86% said they believed vehicle technicians should be qualified and regulated.

61% said they use their mobile phone for online banking or shopping.

Last week the Daily Mail revealed how car hackers filmed on CCTV in Essex were able to steal a £60,000 BMW simply by holding up a bag ^[2] – believed to be containing some form of transmitting device to extend the signal from the car's keyless fob inside the house to open the door and allow the engine to be fired up.

Experts said it was the fourth such theft in the last four months, including a £35,000 Mercedes-Benz C220.

In 2015 a pair of cyber-security experts remotely hacked into a 2014 Jeep Cherokee.

Infiltrating the car via the entertainment system, they were able to disable some of the 4X4's engine functions and interior controls such as air conditioning, locks and radio. It led parent company Fiat Chryusler Automobiles to recall 1.4million vehicles.

IMI chief executive Steve Nash said: 'Computer diagnostics are becoming commonplace in the motor industry today but the bulk of the work in servicing is still of a mechanical nature.

'The technological revolution in the automotive sector is shifting and broadening the skills needed by a maintenance technician to that of a systems analyst.'

He warned: 'With the sector currently unregulated and no national standards in place it's not always possible to track the people who may have access to our personal information.

'Car technology will continue to develop which means it's more important than ever that vehicle technicians have not only the mechanical skills but the ICT skills to be able to service and maintain these vehicles in the safest possible way with an acute awareness of their legal and ethical responsibilities when accessing vehicle data.'

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