Researchers in the US develop car hacking software

Two computer experts in America have shown that it is possible to control a car from a computer - igniting fears that technology in cars doesn't have the requisite security

Car hacking is a scary thought, but could be a reality if manufacturers ignore the risks

Car Hacker Andy Greenberg from Forbes magazine drove a car that could be controlled by the 'hackers'.

It was today revealed that two computer experts in the US – Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek – were able to take control of a Ford Escape and a Toyota Prius while someone else was driving them. From their old Macbooks and a Nintendo handset, they were able to disable the brakes, steer the car and start the ignition, as well as change dashboard readings and sound the horn.

Funded by Darpa at the Pentagon, the pair are keen to highlight the potential security issues around new computer technology in many cars.

We would love for everyone to start having a discussion about this, and for manufacturers to listen and improve the security of cars

Mr Miller, a security engineer at Twitter, told the BBC, "At the moment there are people who are in the know, there are nay-sayers who don't believe it's important, and there are others saying it's common knowledge but right now there's not much data out there… We would love for everyone to start having a discussion about this, and for manufacturers to listen and improve the security of cars."

Miller's colleague Chris Valasek is a director of security intelligence at IOActive, and was previously at the NSA (subject to much criticism due to it's recently exposed PRISM programme).

The next issue of Forbes magazine features more information on how the technology works and what effects it has on cars – and Forbes journalist Andy Greenberg got to experience what the hackers can achieve first-hand. A video on their site shows the digital experts demonstrating their new attacks – changing the reading on the fuel gauge and the speedometer, turning the car off and on, adjusting the steering and sounding the horn without the driver doing anything.

Car Hacker Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek had a good laugh interfering with Andy's driving.

However, car manufacturers have been quick to deny that there are security issues in their vehicles. The Ford Escape used - similar to a Ford Kuga - is from 2010, and not a recent model.

The safety, privacy, and security of our customers is and always will be paramount

They say: "Ford is taking vehicle electronic security seriously and investing in solutions that are built into the product from the outset. This particular attack was not performed remotely over-the-air, but as a highly aggressive direct physical manipulation of one vehicle over an elongated period of time, which would not be a risk to customers on any mass level. The safety, privacy, and security of our customers is and always will be paramount."

Are they even hacking the car?

For Miller and Valasek to be able to control the car, they attached cables between their devices and the electric control units of the cars in question. They then wrote software that over-rode commands from the driver to the car. But, because the device would have to be attached, manufacturers claim that this isn’t hacking in the truest sense.

The hackers have highlighted that earlier work carried out in San Diego has shown that remote control is also possible – so their remit was just to see what could be achieved once that remote access was in place.

Valasek told Forbes magazine: “Academics have shown you can get remote code execution…We showed you can do a lot of crazy things once you’re inside.”

The full research – due to be released at hacker conference Defcon in Las Vegas in just over a week – should give car manufacturers pause for thought about what could theoretically happen if the technology was developed further by those with malicious intentions. It would be very difficult and very expensive for someone to develop the technology to remotely access computer technologies in your car and then create software to alter things while you drove. No crimes have yet been committed.

But what Miller and Valasek hope to show is that while car technology is constantly at the cutting edge, the security surrounding that technology will have to get better and better as hacking gets more sophisticated.