Hollywood’s view of hacking a car and reality are very different.

Hacking a car is just Hollywood, right? Wrong. In fact, as cars become more computerized, from entertainment systems to crucial engine functions, they are also becoming more vulnerable. What makes a car hackable, and how can you protect yourself?

Hacking Cars

You have probably seen scary news reports about hackers cutting brakes and unlocking doors, but as far as anyone knows, these “exploits”, as hackers call them, have not been used against people, but have been simply tested in a lab. That fact is a bit worrying, but the good news is that you have seen the scary news reports.

That sounds odd, but the hacking community has an ethical rule in which flaws in a system are publicly divulged, and they often work with the owner of that system to ensure the flaw will be fixed. This means that engineers building similar systems can find the danger and end it before it becomes a real problem. It is also worth noting that these bugs are unusually complex and often require deep knowledge of computer systems to use in the first place.

Blocking hackers can be as simple as locking your car.

Finding Less Hackable Cars

How can you avoid any hacking issues with a car? The first step is to understand there is no such thing as a “hack-proof” anything. A computer is like a house; there are doors an windows, and whether somebody elegantly picks the lock or just smashes a window, there are ways inside. But if you want to protect against potential issues, there are some common sense steps you can take.

Get to know the car you are buying. Look into how it uses software and computers to regulate vital functions. Some will grouse that computers are not necessary, or say you should just buy an older car. But computers help run vital safety functions like traction control and ensure more fuel efficiency, for example. Ask the manufacturer how the computer systems in your vehicle are protected.

Opt out of extras that add computers or wireless access to your car. You probably have a smartphone; do you really need that fancy in-dash navigation system? Be especially skeptical of functions that connect to the internet to work if you want to keep your car relatively safe from hackers.

Next, as simple as it sounds, lock your car! While Hollywood imagines hackers tapping away at keyboards in the shadows, more often than not hackers do their work by tricking you with fake emails, looking for your favorite things to guess your password, and other relatively simple stuff. A simple locked door or deleted email has thwarted more brilliant hacking schemes than all the math geniuses on the planet.

Lastly, to really help prevent cybercrime for good, call your representatives and ask them to introduce stronger regulations to protect you and your family. Just like seat belts and airbags, strong digital protections make cars safer, and it’s hard to argue against that no matter what your politics may be. For more about how to find the safest car for your family, research from CarFoundMe.