Cars are now a genuine target for cyber criminals and it is possible for attackers to gain control of a vehicle while it is in motion, with risky consequences. For instance, as Alex Fidgen, director at IT security company MWR InfoSecurity, explains, this could have serious consequences if the brakes were applied at high speed.

This comment was made after Volkswagen allegedly sued the University of Birmingham to stop it from publishing how it had hacked anti-theft systems on luxury cars including Lamborghinis and Porsches.

“Vendors should not try to block security research, they should work together with the researchers to understand the nature and potential consequences of the threats they are facing,” Fidgen said.

“Resorting to legal action to block such details from being published is the wrong approach. Manufacturers should instead incorporate strong security research in the design process. There are real concerns about the attitude of VW given they appear to be trying to suppress this information rather than working to rectify it.”

Read the full article over at CIRMagazine.com