At the same time that more and more Americans have smart cars and smart phones, the world is witnessing an increase in hacking reports. For instance, in the last year companies such as Target and Ebay have had customer data hacked.
However, the danger that hacking poses does not end with sensitive consumer information. Freelance research hackers and researchers at the University of California at San Diego have been able to hack the computers in cars such as the Ford Escape and Toyota Prius.
Once hackers have access, they have been able to demonstrate control over the steering wheel, the brakes, the headlights and the horn. Hackers were able to slam on the brakes at will and steer the car in various directions.
Though the hacks occurred in research situations, they were able to demonstrate that today's cars are incredibly vulnerable. In two different scenarios, hackers were able to access a cars computer both wirelessly and by connecting a device to the dashboard.
Both sets of hackers were able to access all of the electronic devices on the cars including Bluetooth, OnStar and Android apps loaded into the vehicles. In one case, hackers were even able to access the vehicles computer by hacking a cd in the stereo system.
In addition to the safety concerns associated with hacked vehicles, there are also financial and information security risks. When hackers are able to access the computer in vehicles, they may also be able to access the smartphones and personal computers and tablets linked into the vehicles internet via Bluetooth.
In such a case, the financial information routinely stored on such devices would be susceptible to theft. Thus, emerging hacking abilities can cause car accidents and provide unscrupulous individuals with bank information, social media profiles and other personal information.
The Knoxville car accident lawyers at Greg Coleman Law have been helping injured car accident victims for decades. For help after a car injury, call a personal injury lawyer from our firm today at (865) 247-0080.
