Regardless of the fact that it’s nigh impossible and that much of the hysteria behind it is due to one high-profile (controlled) instance, car hacking is now officially a thing. In light of this, automakers are binding together to combat future occurrences, and the countermeasures could be coming as early as this year.
Ever since the widely reported remote takeover of a Jeep Cherokee by cybersecurity researchers Chris Valasek and Charlie Miller, people have been wondering what steps car manufacturers would take to ensure customer safety. According to a report in Automotive News, companies are working to set up an “Information Sharing and Analysis Center” to act as a line of defense against car hacking attempts.
If this sounds like a room with an array of software engineers dramatically counter-hacking incursion attempts as they happen, prepare to be slightly underwhelmed. The true function of the center would be for automobile manufacturers to share data regarding vulnerabilities in vehicle software and communication networks. They would also work together in developing defense systems for future vehicles.
We’re speculating, but plugging security holes in software often takes a lot of practice breaking in and finding them in the first place — the very thing Valasek and Miller were doing. All major car manufacturers will participate in this endeavor, with telecom companies expected to join in sometime in the future.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration stated in a report last year that attacking a car via its cellular data connection is one of 11 types of potential attacks facing modern vehicles. This was done as part of a proposal that would direct the Federal Trade Commission and NHTSA to set minimum cybersecurity rules after research found the car industry’s own measures “inconsistent.”
Having shown that it could be done, and generating a substantial public reaction, Valasek and Miller may have achieved what they set out to do — make automakers take cybersecurity seriously.
BYD has launched the third-generation Qin Plus DM-i in China, and the first thing that caught my eye is its price. According to CarNewsChina, the plug-in hybrid sedan starts at 79,900 yuan, which is about $11,980. That’s an incredibly low price for a brand-new car, especially by US standards.
What’s even more impressive is the range. The Qin Plus DM-i can drive up to 137 miles on electricity alone, which should cover most people’s daily commutes without using a drop of gas. Once the battery runs out, the 1.5-liter engine takes over. Thanks to its 17-gallon tank and roughly 91 mpg with a drained battery, the combined range reaches up to 1,423 miles.
Apple won the PC market’s worst quarter, but that’s not the entire story. It won the race by stumbling less than everyone else.
PC makers shipped just 57 million computers worldwide in Q3, which might look good, but it’s a 21% year-over-year plunge (via Counterpoint Research). And despite Apple’s Mac shipments falling by 11%, to 5.6 million, its market share rose from 8.7% to 9.8%. How did that happen?
Update (October 22 23:54 PT): In response to our query, GM clarified that offline recording support is already available on eligible vehicles. Like Tesla's Sentry Mode, it requires owners to connect a USB drive to save incident recordings, which can be viewed on the vehicle's infotainment screen. The upcoming Connected Cameras feature will build on this by giving owners remote access to these recordings via the revamped OnStar app, allowing them to check footage without walking out to their car.
General Motors has announced plans to add a new Connected Cameras feature to its OnStar service starting next year, giving drivers a way to monitor parked vehicles remotely and capture footage of certain incidents.