Fiat-Chrysler recalls 1.4 million vehicles after hackers turn them into lethal weapons

(NaturalNews) Fiat-Chrysler is voluntarily recalling approximately 1.4 million vehicles fueled by fears of remote control hacking.

WIRED security researchers Charlie Miller and Chris Vassalage were able to take control of a Jeep Cherokee with a laptop and mobile phone from ten miles away. The two hackers had been working with Chrysler for several months. They were testing the vulnerability of the Jeep's Uconnect system. Andy Greenberg, a reporter who was in the driver's seat of the Jeep whenever the hacking took place, recapitulated his experience in an article for the magazine.

According to Greenberg, the hackers were able to abruptly turn the air conditioning to full blast, switch the radio station, crank up the volume and turn on the windshield wipers. These mild annoyances were superseded whenever the hackers cut the engine, causing a mild traffic disturbance on the freeway. The two hackers then slashed the breaks and guided the Jeep into a ditch.

The hackers were able to take control of the Jeep by accessing the vehicle's IP address. They were also able to know the vehicle's speed and location through the onboard GPS system. While Miller and Vassalage only took control of the Jeep, any automobile with a Uconnect system could be hacked. Greenberg speculated that there may be as many as 471,000 hackable automobiles. Since news of the hacking broke, however, Chrysler has issued a recall on an astonishing 1.4 million vehicles.

To see the list of the 1.4 million recalled vehicles, as well as other breaking tech news, visit GLITCH.news.