Experts hope to shield cars from computer viruses

BOSTON (Reuters): A team of top hackers working for Intel Corp’s security division toil away in a West Coast garage searching for electronic bugs that could make automobiles vulnerable to lethal computer viruses.

Intel’s McAfee unit, which is best known for software that fights PC viruses, is one of a handful of firms that are looking to protect the dozens of tiny computers and electronic communications systems that are built into every modern car.

It’s scary business. Security experts say that automakers have so far failed to adequately protect these systems, leaving them vulnerable to hacks by attackers looking to steal cars, eavesdrop on conversations, or even harm passengers by causing vehicles to crash.

“You can definitely kill people,” said John Bumgarner, chief technology officer of the US Cyber Consequences Unit, a non-profit organisation that helps companies analyse the potential for targeted computer attacks on their networks and products.

To date there have been no reports of violent attacks on automobiles using a computer virus, according to SAE International, an association of more than 128,000 technical professionals working in the aerospace and the auto industries.

Yet, Ford spokesman Alan Hall said his company had tasked its security engineers with making its Sync in-vehicle communications and entertainment system as resistant as possible to attack.

“Ford is taking the threat very seriously and investing in security solutions that are built into the product from the outset,” he said.

And a group of US computer scientists shook the industry in 2010 with a landmark study that showed viruses could damage cars when they were moving at high speeds. Their tests were done at a decommissioned airport.

SAE International charged a committee of more than 40 industry experts with advising manufacturers on preventing, detecting and mitigating cyber attacks.

“Any cyber security breach carries certain risk,” said Jack Pokrzywa, SAE’s manager of ground vehicle standards. “SAE Vehicle Electrical System Security Committee is working hard to develop specifications which will reduce that risk in the vehicle area.”

The group of US computer scientists from California and Washington state issued a second report last year that identified ways in which computer worms and Trojans could be delivered to automobiles -- via onboard diagnostics systems, wireless connections and even tainted CDs played on radios systems.

They did not say which company manufactured the cars they examined, but did say they believed the issues affected the entire industry, noting that many automakers use common suppliers and development processes.

The three big US automakers declined to say if they knew of any instances in which their vehicles had been attacked with malicious software or if they had recalled cars to fix security vulnerabilities.

Toyota Motor Corp, the world’s biggest automaker, said it was not aware of any hacking incidents on its cars.

“They’re basically designed to change coding constantly. I won’t say it’s impossible to hack, but it’s pretty close,” said Toyota spokesman John Hanson.

Officials with Hyundai Motor Co, Nissan Motor Co and Volkswagen AG said they could not immediately comment on the issue.

A spokesman for Honda Motor Co said that the Japanese automaker was studying the security of on-vehicle computer systems, but declined to discuss those efforts.