Car Hacking Forces Recall Of 1.4 Million Jeeps, Rams, Dodges and Chryslers - Yahoo Autos (blog)
When the Wired story first broke this week, Fiat Chrysler has said a lower number of vehicles were affected, and that it would offer a free software update that owners could download and install themselves via USB drive. Fiat Chrysler also said it had changed its controls over the network-level access to block the technique used by the hackers. “The software manipulation addressed by this recall required unique and extensive technical knowledge, prolonged physical access to a subject vehicle and extended periods of time to write code,” Fiat Chrysler said in a statement. While this isn’t a traditional safety recall, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it would open a separate probe to investigate Fiat Chrysler’s handling of the problem. The agency has been at loggerheads with the automaker for months, accusing it of foot-dragging safety recalls affecting more than 11 million vehicles, and threatening fines or other punishments for the delays. And Fiat Chrysler revealed in documents given to the agency that it first became aware of the software flaw in January 2014 — 18 months before the Wired article. With Congress now considering new laws on vehicle software safety, the Fiat Chrysler hacking recall may be a first, but it likely won’t be the last. Source: www.yahoo.com
