Senator Pushes for Security Measures in Cars With Internet Connections

Massachusetts legislator wants to be sure that such protections aren’t an “afterthought.”

July 01, 2016

WASHINGTON – Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) is calling for more security measures to protect Internet-connected cars, SC Magazine reports. The senator cited how security researchers Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek co-opted a Jeep Cherokee’s brakes, engine, transmission and wheels remotely via the SUV’s in-car entertainment system.

“The Internet of Things leads also to the Internet of Threats, because obviously every vehicle that has the Internet built into it then becomes subject to hacking,” he said during this week’s Surface Transportation subcommittee hearing of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. In 2015, Markey introduced a bill that would put in place a rating system to show consumers what levels of protection exist on that vehicle in the areas of privacy and security.

“We have to ensure that robust cybersecurity protection [is] build into these technologies right from the beginning,” he said. “That means we need enforceable rules of the road to protect driver privacy and security.”

The FBI and the U.S. Department of Transportation have looked into cybersecurity dangers for automated vehicles, with both warning automakers and consumers that weaknesses in such Internet-enabled cars could provide remote access to controls and systems by cybercriminals. The Government Accountability Office also called on DOT to come up with a strategy to respond to such an auto cyberattack.

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