Skip to main content

Jeep hackers return to remotely hack Cherokee’s digital systems

Just a year after they caused Chrysler to recall 1.4 million Jeep Cherokee vehicles after showing how they could remotely hijack a jeep’s digital systems over the internet, Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek are back to show how it could get worse. In the 2015 attack, they first toyed with the vehicle’s air conditioning, entertainment system and windscreen wipers, before cutting the transmission and causing the jeep to slowly come to a halt. At the Black Hat USA 2016 conference this week the two automot
August 4, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
RSSJust a year after they caused 1958 Chrysler to recall 1.4 million Jeep Cherokee vehicles after showing how they could remotely hijack a jeep’s digital systems over the internet, Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek are back to show how it could get worse.

In the 2015 attack, they first toyed with the vehicle’s air conditioning, entertainment system and windscreen wipers, before cutting the transmission and causing the jeep to slowly come to a halt.

At the Black Hat USA 2016 conference this week the two automotive cybersecurity researchers will outline new methods of cyber attack against the same Jeep Cherokee they hacked last year.

According to Miller and Valasek, hackers usually inject CAN messages on to the vehicle's network. However, there are often many limitations on what actions the vehicle can be forced to perform when injecting CAN messages. While an attacker may be able to easily change the speedometer while the car is driving, he may not be able to disable the brakes or turn the steering wheel unless the car he is driving meets certain prerequisites, such as travelling below a certain speed.

In their presentation, they plan to discuss how physical, safety critical systems react to injected CAN messages and how these systems are often resilient to this type of manipulation.

They will also outline new methods of CAN message injection which can bypass many of these restrictions and demonstrate the results on the braking, steering, and acceleration systems of an automobile. They end by suggesting ways these systems could be made even more robust in future vehicles.

Related Content

  • With C-ITS we can get ourselves connected
    June 27, 2025
    Workzones need to be safer for drivers and workers – and the technology exists to harmonise safety with mobility needs, says Swarco’s Daniel Lenczowski
  • Automakers, US DOT agree on cybersecurity
    January 19, 2016
    The US Transportation Department and 17 automakers have reached agreement on efforts to enhance safety, including sharing information to thwart cyber-attacks on their increasingly wired vehicles, says Bloomberg. Companies including General Motors, Ford and Toyota also agreed to reform the way they report fatalities, injuries and warranty claims to the government. The companies are to meet regularly to exchange information and identify emerging safety issues. “Today DOT and the automakers represented h
  • The effectiveness of roads policing
    March 6, 2015
    The Joint Roads Policing Unit of Thames Valley Police and Hampshire Constabulary in the UK commissioned the Transport Research laboratory (TRL) to evaluate the effectiveness of their roads policing strategy in terms of reducing the number of people killed and seriously injured in road collisions. The focus was on the fatal four causes of collisions: speeding, drink-driving, not wearing a seat belt and drivers using mobile phones. TRL carried out a detailed literature review, in-depth review and analysis of
  • CES 2021 | Connecting cities
    March 1, 2021
    Covid-19 forced the Las Vegas Convention Center to close its doors for CES 2021, but the trade show’s online debut suggests the pandemic is helping cities