On Tuesday, we were terrified by Wired’s report on car hacking, in which a Jeep Grand Cherokee was remotely controlled and then stalled by security hackers miles away. It looks like Fiat Chrysler Automotive (FCA), parent company of Jeep, was terrified too.
FCA first issued a “network-level security measure” – effective since yesterday – to prevent remote manipulation via the company’s cellular network. That alone should be enough to stop the exploit in the Wired article according to Fiat Chrysler, and requires no action by vehicle owners or dealerships.
To be extra safe, however, it’s also issuing a “voluntary safety recall” for 1.4 million vehicles in the US. Potentially vulnerable owners will be sent a USB device of some sort that will implement additional barriers to prevent further exploits. FCA is also creating a dedicated security team to monitor software development and potential vulnerabilities.
The affected vehicles cover a range of brands and models from 2013 on, including the aforementioned Jeep Grand Cherokee, Dodge Challenger, Chrysler 300 and more; the full list is available on the press release here. You can also check if you car is affected by inputting your Vehicle Identification number on FCAs software update page.
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➤ Statement: Software Update [FCA via Engadget]
Read next: Uncontrollable: How the first remote kidnapping from a driverless car could go down
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