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 At last summer's Def Con hacking conference in Las Vegas, the two
researchers, Chris Valasek and Charlie Miller, described ways to
launch dangerous attacks, including manipulating the brakes of the
moving Prius and the Ford Escape.
Valasek told Reuters on Tuesday that he and Miller will show off a
prototype vehicle "intrusion prevention device" at next month's
Black Hat hacking conference in Las Vegas.
They built the device with about $150 in electronics parts, though
the real "secret sauce" is a set of computer algorithms that listen
to traffic in a car's network to understand how things are supposed
to work. When an attack occurs, the device identifies traffic
anomalies and blocks rogue activity, Valasek said.
The two well-known computer experts decided to pursue the project
because they wanted to help automakers identify ways to defend
against security vulnerabilities in their products.
 "I really don't care if you hack my browser and steal my credit
card," Valasek said. "But crashing a car is life or death. It is
dramatic. We wanted to be part of the solution."
The research the two have released on the Ford and Toyota cars, as
well as work by other experts on different types of vehicles, has
raised concerns that somebody might one day try to replicate their
work to launch a real-life attack.
Yet the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in
a statement on Tuesday that it is not aware of any incidents of
consumer vehicle control systems having been hacked.
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The auto industry has beefed up efforts to identify and mitigate
potential cybersecurity risks over the past few years.
“Cyber security is a global concern and it is a growing threat for
all industries, including the automotive," said Jack Pokrzywa,
manager of global ground vehicle standards with SAE International, a
group that represents industry engineers.
Pokrzywa declined to comment on the specifics of the new technology
from Valasek and Miller, though he said "Any viable solution
reducing cyber threats is a step in the right direction.”
A representative for Ford said she had no immediate comment on the
device. Officials with Toyota could not be reached for comment.
(Reporting by Jim Finkle in Boston; Editing by Richard Valdmanis and
Dan Grebler)
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