Hackers can hitch a ride on car computers

Just about any new car can be hacked — some even driven by remote control — as automakers depend more on software and wireless connections.

Vehicle vulnerability may only grow as cars become their own wireless hot spots with the advent of automated braking and steering systems, experts warn.

Jeep recalled 1.4 million vehicles in July to install a patch that plugged the digital security hole.

Other cybersecurity experts took control of a Tesla Model S by hacking the car’s entertainment system.

A recent lack of basic encryption technology left BMW-built vehicles with a security flaw that could have allowed hackers to unlock the doors of up to 2.2 million Rolls-Royce, Mini and BMW vehicles.

“A lot of carmakers today have awoken to the reality that, as they develop more connected cars, they are inadvertently pushing security risks onto the market,” said Maryanna Saenko, senior analyst and autonomous systems expert at Lux Research.

“Right now, it is really hard to do,” said Chris Valasek, one of the Jeep hackers and director of vehicle security research at IOActive, a computer security company.

Large-scale hacking of computers is ubiquitous because criminals can make money stealing personal and financial data, or by locking up devices, demanding ransom money or using them to spread spam, viruses and malware.

For now, high-tech features such as forward collision alerts or tire air pressure monitoring are more likely to prevent a mishap than put the driver in harm’s way, Valasek said.

In 2010, an angry worker fired by a Texas auto dealership hacked into an Internet service that disables the ignition in cars targeted for repossession and disabled the engines on 100 vehicles sold by his former employer.