WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - A consumer advocacy group has warned that 'all the top 2020' new generation cars with Internet connections to safety critical systems are highly vulnerable to fleet wide hacks and constitute a national security threat.
The report, titled 'Kill Switch: Why Connected Cars Can Be Killing Machines And How To Turn Them Off,' says that in the event of a mass cyberattack at rush-hour, it could lead to approximately 3,000 deaths.
The nonprofit group Consumer Watchdog drafted the report with the help of car industry technologists.
Automobile manufacturers have disclosed the high risk of such hacks to their investors, but concealed it from the public as it will affect their marketing prospects putting corporate profit at risk.
Citing the example of Ford, the report says the U.S. auto giant disclosed in a filing to the Securities Exchange Commission that 'the company and its suppliers have been the subject of a malicious hack, but the public is blind to the facts.'
'Connecting safety-critical systems to the Internet is inherently dangerous design,' according to Jamie Court, President of Consumer Watchdog.
He called on U.S. car makers to end this practice, failing which, 'Congress must step in to protect our transportation system and our national security.'
'Recent reporting about United States efforts to counter Russian cyber-attacks with its own online infiltration indicate that we increasingly live in the era of cyber warfare,' said the group of car industry technologists and experts.
They warned that an attack targeting transportation infrastructure is a growing possibility. 'Most concerning is that automotive industry executives are aware of these risks, yet are proceeding nonetheless to deploy these technologies, putting corporate profits ahead of consumer safety and national security.'
The report recommends that cars be equipped with a 'kill switch' that can disconnect the safety critical systems from the Internet.
A group of more than 20 car industry engineers and insiders helped with the preparation of the report. The Los Angeles-based watchdog said that their identity is not disclosed 'for fear of losing their jobs'.
Car companies such as GM, Toyota and Ford are mentioned in the report.
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