Fiat Chrysler Knew Of Hacking Threat For 18 Months And Told No One

The automaker says it was working on a fix and didn’t consider the problem a safety defect. But the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration saw otherwise. Eight days after being notified by the company, the agency pushed Fiat Chrysler last month to recall 1.4 million cars and trucks -- the first recall prompted by cybersecurity safety concerns.

The episode came just days before Fiat Chrysler agreed to a $105 million penalty to settle complaints about its recall performance on other issues and as NHSTA faces its own criticism for failing to promptly get unsafe vehicles off the street.

TheSteve - 8/6/2015 2:00:26 PM

0 Boost

In these "car hacker" stories, it's important to realize (a) WHAT functionality is affected, and (b) HOW it can be affected. For example, if the hack can turn the engine off, and they way they do it is by pressing a button on a laptop keyboard while it's wired into the car (i.e., the evil-doer must be in the car to make the unauthorized change), then this is one of those silly, sensationalized stories that are in fact a non-event. Want to prevent this risk? Don't allow unknown passengers to plug their laptop into your car.

Sciros - 8/6/2015 2:11:35 PM

+1 Boost

Unless you're the dumbest company in the world, you don't say "omg guys there's a big security flaw HERE is what it is" to people until you can fix it immediately. When security through obscurity is all that's left, you take advantage of it.

Then, once you figure out the right fix and how to roll it out, you issue a recall and get it done.

Why is anyone bent out of shape over this?

MDarringer - 8/6/2015 8:33:13 PM

-1 Boost

I agree