I have been warning you about the danger of the Internet of Things which refers to the increasing use of computer technology in things that formerly did not involve computers or communication through the Internet, such as refrigerators, thermostats and cars.  Too often the developers of these cutting edge computer programs used to make these various products more intelligent and useful have neglected to sufficiently concern themselves with the security of these programs resulting in new vulnerabilities that are now and will even more in the future be exploited by hackers.

Cars are more and more computerized and this has resulted in an increasing number of car thefts due to exploiting of the electronic key systems of the cars.  In London, for example almost half of the cars stolen last year were hacked by car thieves using cheap electronic devices that will open a locked car in less than ten seconds.  Other electronic devices can even take over the car’s diagnostic unit, permitting hackers to control the car’s lights, locks, steering and braking systems.

TIPS

At the moment car manufacturers have not installed security systems to prevent the opening and stealing of cars through remote entry by a hacker, however, this is something that we all should both be aware of as a potential problem and notify our car manufacturers as to our displeasure that they have not acted sufficiently to prevent this type of problem.  Certainly, no one should ever leave anything of value in a car feeling secure that the car is locked.