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Feds fretting over remote hack of Jeep Cherokee

A cyber-security gap that allowed for the remote hacking of a Jeep Cherokee has federal officials concerned. An associate administrator with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Thursday that news of the breach conducted by researchers Chris Valasek and Charlie Miller had "floated around the entire federal government." "The Homeland Security folks sent out broadcasts that, 'Here's an issue that needs to be addressed,'" said Nathaniel Beuse, an associate administrator with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Valasek and Miller commandeered remote control of the Cherokee through a security flaw in the cellular connection to the car's Uconnect infotainment system. From his Pittsburgh home, Valasek manipulated critical safety inputs, such as transmission function, on Miller's Jeep as he drove along a highway near St. Louis, MO. The scope of the remote breach is believed to be the first of its kind. The prominent cyber-security researchers needed no prior access to the vehicle to perform the hack, and the scope of the remote breach is believed to be the first of its kind. A NHTSA spokesperson said the agency's cyber-security staff members are "putting their expertise to work assessing this threat and the response, and we will take action if we determine it's necessary to protect safety." A Homeland Security spokesperson referred questions about the hack to Chrysler. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has already been the subject of a federal hearing this month, in which officials scrutinized whether the company had adequately fixed recalled vehicles and repeatedly failed to notify the government about defects. But cyber-security concerns are a new and different species for the regulatory agency. Only hours before the Jeep hack was announced by Wired magazine earlier this week, NHTSA administrator Dr. Mark Rosekind said hacking vulnerabilities were a threat to privacy, safety, and the public's trust with new connected and autonomous technologies that allow vehicles to communicate. NHTSA outlined its response to the cyber-security challenges facing the industry in a report issued Tuesday. In it, the agency summarized its best practices for thwarting attacks and said it will analyze possible real-time infiltration responses. But the agency's ability to handle hackers may only go so far.

2022 Detroit Auto Show Editors' Picks

As tends to be the case in this post-ish-pandemic world of auto shows, the North American International Auto Show was a strange one. It was at least mostly indoors and thus not at the mercy of Mother Nature. And unlike that first Chicago Show following the initial pandemic shutdown, this one was all assembled before the media arrived. Even with a much thinner show floor, the Detroit Auto Show still gave us a number of noteworthy reveals. Now, full disclosure, the rules for our Detroit picks were made a little more flexible, since some of these vehicles were revealed a little before the week of the show. But we still focused on vehicles that were making their show debut, and were actually present on the floor. Sadly, that means we had to leave out the Jeep Recon and Wagoneer S electric SUV concepts. Odds are, those would've made it into our list of the top five if they had actually been on display. Now, on to the winners. 2023 Jeep Wrangler Willys 4xe View 18 Photos 5. 2023 Jeep Wrangler Willys 4xe This was an easy one. While there's nothing so remarkable about the Willys that it makes this package a must-buy, it's nice to see another model available with the 4xe powertrain. Just one question, though: Where was the Recon? – Byron Hurd Chevrolet Blazer EV View 7 Photos 4. 2024 Chevy Blazer EV As a fan of the K5 and S-10 Blazer generations, I was a bit bemused when the current-gen crossover came out ... until I drove it and realized how good it actually is. Now that there's a Blazer EV incoming, I feel like I can become a true fan again. And there's a lot for fans to appreciate: FWD, RWD and AWD versions, and even a 557-horsepower SS variant. In a lineup of practical, Ultium-based Chevy utes, it's good to see an attainable product that enthusiasts can get behind — along the lines of Ford with its Mustang Mach-E — while we wait for an electric Corvette. — Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder 2023 Chrysler 300C View 28 Photos 3. 2023 Chrysler 300C In a poignant press conference with the Spirit of Detroit statue in the background, Chrysler sent its flagship 300 out properly with a 6.4-liter Hemi V8. Stellantis design chief Ralph Gilles articulated the car's successes — its many awards and sterling reviews from its early days — and the cover came off with a veritable 300C hot rod on display. One more time, the 300 is at full strength. To be clear, this isn't the 300S with an available 5.7-liter.

Chrysler taking big risk snubbing NHTSA

Maker Insists Feds Overstate Risk Of Fires With Grand Cherokee, Liberty Models
It's not often that recall stories make it above the fold, in that old newspaper parlance, but when one shows up as the lead story on the network evening news programs, you know it's something big.
And so it is with Chrysler snubbing its nose at a request by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to recall 2.7 million Jeeps the feds insist are at risk of potentially catastrophic fuel tank fires in a rear-end collision.