Fiat Chrysler recalls over 7,000 hackable vehicles

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV’s U.S. unit is recalling 7,810 vehicles that are equipped with a radio vulnerable to hacking.

According to Fiat, the security vulnerability would be very hard to hack, requiring “unique and extensive technical knowledge, prolonged physical access to a subject vehicle and extended periods of time to write code.”

The automaker says it is not aware that any of the affected vehicles have been hacked.

“FCA US is conducting this campaign out of an abundance of caution,” the company said in a statement.

{mosads}Customers who own certain 2015 Jeep Renegade SUVs will receive a USB device with a security upgrade they can install on their vehicle. Over half of the impacted vehicles are still with dealers and will be serviced before they are sold.

The recall is unconnected to another Fiat Chrysler recall of roughly 1.4 million vehicles earlier this summer. That recall was prompted when security researchers exposed a flaw that allowed hackers to kill transmissions remotely.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is conducting an investigation into what other automakers may have used the same parts that introduced the vulnerability into Fiat’s vehicles.

As public fears of car hackings have grown, some legislators are trying to force manufacturers to bolster cyber safeguards on vehicles.

Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.) in July introduced the Security and Privacy in Your Car (SPY Car) Act, which would require the Federal Trade Commission and NHTSA to create standards to protect cars from hacks.

Reps. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) and Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.), the top two members on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, are demanding that car manufacturers outline how they will protect consumer health and safety as “smart” car technology proliferates.

“While threats to vehicle technology currently appear isolated and disparate, as the technology becomes more prevalent, so too will the risks associated with it,” the congressmen wrote in May.