Although my car has a CD player, I've never used it, and probably never will. I have satellite radio, as well as HD radio in the car, and my iPod connects via Bluetooth and I can also connect the iPod via an Apple "lightning cable" which gets plugged in with a USB connection in the center console box.

So, does Dr. Patel think that an infected mp3 file needs to be burned to a CD and the CD inserted into the vehicle's CD player? Or is it just the playing of an infected mp3 file via any playing method?

What's in the rest of the article? There was this problem just a little time ago at Tesla, I think it was, but there was a software update that was supposed to fix it. Most cars have the entertainment/nav system separated from the car's working system. That doesn't mean it's impossible to hack any of the onboard computers, in theory, especially those with telemetry and diagnostic systems, but it should be a lot harder than putting a file in through the CD player.

I read a similar report regarding one of the monitoring devices that an insurance company provides to track your driving habits and report them back to the insurance company. The researchers reported that by sending text messages to the device, they could affect the operation of the vehicle. Their initial test was to remotely activate the windshield wipers. Subsequently they were able to apply the brakes remotely, or (more importantly) prevent the brakes from being applied.

A professor in my wife's department was describing similar work students of his were doing on devices that police agencies were considering installing in their official vehicles. His students were able to disrupt the operation of the engine and IIRC prevent the car from being started.

Yikes! Scary about the police cars. Those monitoring devices plug into the car's central systems, however, which is much less stupid than the Tesla thing with the cd player. The thing is, we're moving to a time when cars recognize and talk to each other so they can drive themselves and improve traffic and everything, but the security is going to have to be a lot better. And someone is going to have to prevent Skynet from gaining conciousness...

Teslas don't have CD players, unless you plug a portable into the USB port.

Tesla invited professional hackers to hack into their car, to expose the vulnerabilities so they could be fixed. Hackers were able to gain access, but it involved partially taking the car apart to do so, and even then it was not easy. Hacking a Tesla

Thanks for the correction. I was going by what I'd read in an article--which probably said something like nav/entertainment system which I mistranslated. Your link about the procedure was very interesting and illuminating. Thanks!

Here's a link to one of the many stories about the researchers who hacked a Corvette via insurance tracker dongle. http://money.cnn.com/2015/08/11/technology/car-hacking-tracker/

The biggest risk in a car is having a collision, whether one that's your fault or someone else's. That risk is faced every time you get into a car.

This risk by comparison is so far down the list of likelihoods that while it makes for interesting articles on recent developments, it's not something worth anyone's concern. Yet.

Exactly -- yet. Although it shows that since the auto manufacturers intend the ODB port to be used for diagnostic purposes at service time and therefore have little thoughts of security regarding how that port is used, that plugging in the insurance company's device is perhaps not worth the potential risk.

"it's not something worth anyone's concern. Yet."

After Volkswagon's secret hanky panky, I'm thinking we may not realize what's under our hoods that should concern us.

Forewarned is forearmed, and if something happens with your vehicle that you can't explain, perhaps this info might help.

Simply because a risk is unlikely, does not mean it isn't valuable to know a little bit about it.

From ticks to scarlet fever to how long you can leave mayo out, a particular subject may not come up much in your life, but when it does, that tiny tucked away memory may pop up and save you.

Lucille, you used the word "scary" twice. If you feel that way, fine. It doesn't seem like anyone is in any imminent danger. Researchers have shown that unauthorized access is theoretically possible. Has anything else happened?

Forewarned isn't forearmed because there's nothing for any individual car owner to do. We need to rely on the car makers to tighten up security if indeed there are undesired entry points for particular cars.