Cyber threat: 15 ways your car can be hacked

California - Is your car safe from hackers? Earlier in July 2015, Wheels24 published a video showing two veteran cyber-security researchers using the internet to turn off a moving Jeep's engine.

The video highlighted the increasing threat hackers pose to the vehicle industry.

Electronics and computer giant, Intel, is investigating vehicle hacking in a research paper titled 'Automotive Security: Best practices'. The company is also researching ways to 'hack-proof' your car.

'Clear and present danger'

According to Intel: "'Remember to lock your car' is no longer sufficient advice to protect your vehicle.

"Computer attacks are now a clear and present danger for car users, dealers, manufacturers, and suppliers. Computer security joins reliability and safety as a cornerstone for consumer confidence and continued success in the automotive industry."

VIDEO: Watch how experts hack into a moving car

The company released a diagram of what it claims are the fifteen most hack-able features on a modern vehicles: Based on a study on 20 recent models (2014 to 2015)

Intel said the success of a hack depends on three major categories - remote attack surfaces, cyberphysical features and in-vehicle network architectures.

Click here for the full research paper

Automotive security risks

Intel said: "Whenever something new connects to the Internet, it is exposed to the full force of malicious activity. When something as complex as a modern car or truck is connected, assessing the scope of threats is an immense job, and an attack surface may be left unprotected by accident.

"With cars sporting 100 or more ECUs, the attack surface is broad, touching most in-vehicle systems and an increasingly wide range of external networks, from Wi-Fi, cellular networks, and the Internet to service garages, toll roads, drive-through windows, gas stations, and a rapidly growing list of automotive and aftermarket applications."

Hacked Jeep

Two veteran cyber-security researchers showed they can use the internet to turn off a moving car's engine, sharply raising the stakes in the debate about the safety of increasingly "connected" cars and trucks, Wheels24 reported on Wednesday (July 22 2015).

Watch the Jeep hack video here.

The hackers used a feature in the Fiat Chrysler telematics system Uconnect to break into a Jeep Cherokee being driven on the highway by a reporter for technology news site Wired.com.