Senator Edward J. Markey has sent out a letter to 20 companies in America

Dec 6, 2013 16:14 GMT  ·  By

Following the DARPA-funded research of Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek regarding the cybersecurity of modern vehicles, US Senator Edward J. Markey has sent out a letter to several car manufacturers to ask them about how well they protect customers against cyberattacks.

Experts have demonstrated that a car’s computer system can be hijacked and abused to send a wide range of commands to the vehicle.

The letter has been sent out to 20 companies in the US, including Volvo, Volkswagen, Toyota, Tesla, Subaru Motors, Porsche, Nissan, Mercedes-Benz, Mazda, Lamborghini, Jaguar, Hyundai, Honda, General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, BMW, Audi, and Aston Martin.

“As vehicles become more integrated with wireless technology, there are more avenues through which a hacker could introduce malicious code, and more avenues through which a driver’s basic right to privacy could be compromised,” Senator Markey noted in the letter.

“These threats demonstrate the need for robust vehicle security policies to ensure the safety and privacy of our nation’s drivers,” he added. “Airbags and seat belts protect the safety of drivers, but we also need car companies to ensure the security and privacy of those in automobiles in this new wireless age.”

The senator wants to know how companies assess the technologies purchased from other manufacturers to make sure they’re not vulnerable to cyberattacks. He also wants to know if independent third-parties are contracted to test wireless entry points for security holes.

Are there any technologies integrated for the detection of anomalous activities? What type of information is collected by onboard systems and how it’s stored? Which are the models that can be remotely shut down, and are customers made aware of these capabilities before the vehicle is purchased?

These are just some of the many questions Markey has asked carmakers. Answers must be given until January 4, 2014.