In many respects, today's new cars are essentially
mini-computers on wheels, containing vast amounts of computer
chips, sensors, and nanotechnology controlled by thousands of lines
of software code.
By 2017, it is estimated more than 60 per cent of cars and
trucks will be connected to the Internet. To date there is
(unfortunately) no single policy or set of industry standards that
govern the security of these technology systems and as a result,
"car hacking" — where hackers maliciously
compromise the technological systems of cars — is becoming an
increasingly growing concern of late.
Auto manufacturers have consistently downplayed the threat of
hacker attacks on vehicles, insisting these networked cars are safe
or alternatively that the hacking requires actual physical access
to vehicles. However, as early as 2011 researchers at the
University of Washington and the University of California at San
Diego reported they were able to wirelessly penetrate and exploit
