Serious cyber-security flaws uncovered in Ford and Volkswagen cars
Connected vehicles produced by both Ford and Volkswagen have serious security flaws which could allow them to be hacked, according to a Which? investigation.
The consumer group said that connected tech features of the Ford Focus Titanium Automatic 1.0L petrol and a Volkswagen Polo SEL TSI Manual 1.0L petrol – the latest models of two of the most popular cars in Europe - were vulnerable.
Which? warned that the cars could put motorists’ personal data and even safety at risk. It said the lack of “any meaningful regulation” for on-board tech in the motor industry allows manufacturers to be “careless with security”. It added that while its investigation focused on the Focus and Polo, it is concerned that these issues could be widespread throughout the industry. The investigation showed that the ‘infotainment’ unit in the Volkswagen Polo, part of the car’s ‘central nervous system’, was vulnerable to cyber-attack. The vulnerability was found in a section of the car that can enable or disable traction control – a feature that helps drivers to keep control the vehicle in treacherous conditions.
