Senators call for connected car kill switches following Consumer Watchdog report

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US Senators Richard Blumenthal and Ed Markey have written a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) asking whether car manufacturers have disclosed vulnerabilities with their cars.

The letter has been delivered in the wake of a damning Consumer Watchdog report this month that warned that a mass cyberattack could result in the remote control of cars that are connected.

Los Angeles-based Consumer Watchdog published a study warning of a growing danger of fleetwide hacks of connected vehicles. One vulnerability in 1 producer ’s fleet of automobiles that are linked has the capability.

Jamie Court, President of Consumer Watchdog, highlighted that at Ford’s latest annual report with the SEC it was noted: “We, our suppliers, and our dealers are the goal of these kinds of strikes previously and such attacks will likely happen in the future. ”

Ford hasn’t even elaborated it witnessed, however, it goes to demonstrate that vehicles are already a keen goal of hackers.

The senators want to know whether connected car manufacturers have reported such vulnerabilities to the NHTSA and exactly that which the bureau is doing to address the problem.

In their letter, addressed NHTSA Deputy Administrator Heidi King, the senators wrote:

“According to a recent report, companies such as BMW, Daimler Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, and Tesla have confessed that the hazards of internet-connected automobiles for their investors and investors, but have not disclosed these exact dangers to the public at large. 

We are worried that customers are purchasing internet-connected vehicles without adequate security warnings and write to ask regarding NHTSA’s comprehension of almost any cyber vulnerabilities, and what activities NHTSA is currently taking to address these issues. ”

The senators seek responses

Has NHTSA ever been notified of hacking attempts against or vulnerabilities in automobiles, such as the ones identified in Ford&rsquostatements for investors?

If NHTSA was informed of any such attempts, what activities did NHTSA take in reaction to this info? If no action has been taken, why not?

Further, even if NHTSA was informed, why was that the public not advised of these cyber dangers to any vehicles they considered purchasing or owned?

What actions has NHTSA taken, and what activities does NHTSA plan to take, so as to deal with the cyber vulnerabilities and public security risks created by the growing number of internet-connected automobiles on U.S. streets?

Can NHTSA have a process in place to receive reports of hacking or vulnerabilities in internet-connected automobiles?

In case of a cyber incident or vulnerability involving the safety of an internet-connected automobile , what entity could be expected to give public disclosure? Can that person disclosure be legally required? ”

Consumer Watchdog’s report indicates lsquo & a compulsory;kill change ’ to be installed in all vehicles. This type of switch, the report notes, costs only 50 cents but may save lives in case of a cyberattack by immediately severing the relationship between the critical and web functions.

 Interested in hearing loss business leaders discuss topics like this? Attend the co-located 5G Expo, IoT Tech Expo, Blockchain Expo, AI & Big Data Expo, along with Cyber Security & Cloud Expo World Series with upcoming events at Silicon Valley, London, and Amsterdam.

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