Israeli intelligence agencies on Friday announced that its security agency has remotely hacked into a car which was powered by an aftermarket security hole. The agency exploited the encrypted security of the device by remotely accessing it. The security device is called Zubie which after hacking, handed over the car functions to the hacker. All the functions like lock/unlock system, functionality of instrument clusters and their readings were hacked too.
The security agency named Argus Cyber Security, says that they are able to control car’s engine, brakes and even steering components through this device when hacked. The security agency further explained that the hacking of a car security system is a real breakthrough for security purposes. It will help the intelligence agencies to remotely access cars, if they feel that the vehicle is not safe and a threat for national security. This will also help the agencies to control cyber-attacks by other hackers.
In the past, researchers said that they were able to control limited functions of the car by hacking its security system. However, they were able to control functions of the hacked vehicle through a physical link or remotely from a short distance.
Now, in this case, security flaws in the vehicles would allow the Israeli Intelligence Agencies and Security agencies and Argos Cyber Security team to remotely capture and hijack the vehicle from anywhere in the world.
Security devices like Zubie are gaining popularity in the industry because they work on a cloud based connection and send information about driving behaviours and can be easily fitted into the car from 1996.
“The case we brought here is just one out of the potentially many, and there will always be new vulnerabilities out there,” wrote Yaron Galula, chief technology officer of Argus. “This is especially true today, as car connectivity is on the rise, there is a real need to bridge the gap between its tremendous inherent benefits and its potential hazards.”
The awareness about security crimes in the automobile industry is still limited, but with time people will definitely give attention to the security issues and industry officials should also adopt a pre-emptive approach to overcome these issues and safeguard its customers and data.
