Hackers expose security flaws in cars, phones – even guns
Culture
Tis the season for revealing devastating security flaws.
I'm Bridget Carey.
This is your CNet update.
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Over the past several days, we've learned there's many new ways to get hacked.
Chrysler's car entertainment system can be tapped into wirelessly.
To send commands to a Jeep Cherokee and as Wired showed us in this video report.
Hackers can take over the steering wheel, mess with the brakes, even kill the engine and it sent the reporter driving the car into a ditch.
And thanks to another security researcher We learned hackers can break into an Android phone just by sending one text message with a video or photo file that's packed with a hidden malicious code.
Also, there's a husband and wife programmer power couple that discovered a way to wirelessly hack into a high tech internet connected rifle to change it's settings so the bullet will miss the target.
When you have a rifle that can be connected wirelessly to a smartphone app, you're just asking to be hacked.
And there is yet another car hack possible, according to security researcher, Samy Kamkar.
He posted this video to YouTube explaining how it's possible to hack GM cars with OnStar using the remote link app.
He created a device that could be placed anywhere on the car even hidden behind the back bumper and it can give a hacker access to the same controls on that app such as being able to locate the exact location with GPS and then unlock the doors and start the engine but the hacker couldn't drive off without the keys.
If you're wondering why you're hearing about so many devastating security vulnerabilities this month, don't blame the blue moon.
It's because the biggest cyber security conferences of the year, BlackHat and DEF CON are taking place in Las Vegas during the first week of August.
And the researchers are teasing their presentations to the press.
The world's top security researchers and hackers gathered to showcase their finders at these events.
And you can expect car hacking to be a big topic.
The good news is that all these hacks I've mentioned have been reported to the companies.
So patches are being worked on.
But who can say how many problems have been discovered that have not been reported.
Companies need to do more to think about security When they're connecting everything to the internet.
And speaking of having the internet everywhere, Facebook is ready to start testing a massive solar powered drone that will provide internet access to underdeveloped countries.
Named Aquilla, this drone has the wingspan of a 737.
But it weighs hundreds of times less.
And it can hover in the stratosphere 11 miles above the earth for three months straight.
Facebook has nearly 1.5 million users but there were four billion people without access to the internet.
So for Facebook to grow it needs to get those people connected.
And putting the internet above the earth is seen as a better alternative than building out the towers and installing fiber optic cable on land.
That's it for this tech news update.
And you can always get more news at cnet.com.
From our studios in New York, I'm Bridget Carey.
