Jeep Hack: Fiat Recalls 1.4 Million Vehicles For Software Fix

Fiat Chrysler automotive will recall roughly 1.4 million vehicles after it was discovered that hackers were able to remotely take control of a Jeep Cherokee SUV through vulnerabilities in its built-in software.

According to a a report in USA Today, Fiat announced the recall under government pressure and will include a software update that will prevent hackers from controlling any of the cars’ functions remotely. Only U.S. vehicles will be affected by the recall.

The vulnerability in the Cherokee’s software was first reported in Wired magazine, which detailed how two software experts were able to manipulate many of the cars functions from miles away. According to Wired, the hacker’s code is
“an automaker’s nightmare . . . that lets hackers send commands through the Jeep’s entertainment system to its dashboard functions, steering, brakes, and transmission, all from a laptop that may be across the country.”

Fiat says that there have been no injuries, as far as it is aware, as a result of the software vulnerability. The recall, according to USA Today, will affect the following models: