A warning has been issued by security experts that the cars made by Fiat Chrysler can be easily hacked and crashed remotely.

Over 470,000 vehicles made by Fiat Chrysler, including ones driven in the UK, are potentially at risk of being hacked. It has been learned that a hacker has remotely broken into Jeep’s dashboard computer, took control of it and crashed it into a ditch from a distance of not less than 10 miles.

Has it ever been done before?

No, it hasn’t been done before, this breach is the first of its kind. By using just a wireless internet connection, a laptop and a mobile phone, the American hackers managed to kill the engine and then apply brakes on the Jeep Cherokee from distance of almost 10 miles, causing it to veer off the road.

According to these hackers, they can easily access the on-board computer of over 470,000 cars made by Fiat Chrysler and these vehicles are not only driven in the United States but the United Kingdom also.

Who are these dangerous people?

Charlie Miller, Chris Valasek and Andy Greenberg, these are the guys responsible for this crash. You will be surprised to know that none of them has a criminal record, so much so, this crash also does not fall under any kind of crime.

Are you serious? How are they not criminals?

Yes absolutely, serious as heart attack. They really are not criminals. Charlie Miller is a former NSA employee, Chris Valasek is the director of Vehicle Security Research at IOActive – both of these guys are security researchers – and Andy Greenberg is a writer with a tech website. Miller and Valasek sat in their sofa with the laptop and Greenberg drove the Jeep Cherokee on public roads in St Louis, Missouri.

What happens when a car gets hijacked?

It all starts with air vents starting to blast out cold air, the radio coming on full blast, windscreen wipers going crazy, and the pictures of the hackers showing up on the digital screen. And the worst part is failing brakes. You can’t do anything but frantically pump the pedal as your vehicle slid uncontrollably to left or right.

All this made possible with Uconnect, the software integrated into hundreds of thousands of dashboard computers built into Fiat Chrysler Automobiles since late 2013.

Is the Jeep only victim of this hack?

No, Toyota and Ford have also been hacked in the similar manner. Miller and Valasek have hacked Ford Escape and Toyota Prius the same way.