Not only should you be diligent at patching your computers and mobile devices, but if you drive a newer Chrysler automobile with UConnect, you will need to patch your car as well. A new vulnerability was found in that system that may allow someone to drive your car for you.
In a live demo, the vulnerability was used take over the steering wheel while in reverse and cut the brakes and transmission in a Jeep Cherokee. This was all done remotely.
The UConnect system has been included in Chrysler vehicles since 2013 and uses Sprint’s cellular network for connectivity. In the demo, the car was located by scanning for the devices using the same spectrum band as UConnect. Once the IP address of the vehicle is found, the firmware can be rewritten and the car controlled. Someone wanting to take advantage of this can do it while sitting on the sofa in his home all the way across the country.
There is a patch available for this already. However, it needs to be installed at a dealership or manually using USB. If you are savvy enough to give it a try yourself, the patch can be downloaded from the UConnect software website. However you decide to apply it, do it as soon as possible.
In a statement to WIRED, Chrysler listed several 2013-2014 models of Dodge Ram, the 2013-2014 Dodge Viper, the 2014 Jeep Cherokee, Jeep Grand Cherokee, and Dodge Durango as all vulnerable to the UConnect attack.
No matter how bad the traffic is on your commute, it isn’t recommended you sit back and let someone else take the wheel. Wait for legitimate self-driving cars for that; just perhaps wait till they’ve worked out some of the bugs first.
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