(WAAY) - We've all heard about the hacking problems with websites and companies like Target, J.P. Morgan, and Home Depot, but your car may be one of the latest victims.
"Being able to have everything that's connected 24/7 is awesome, but also there are vulnerabilities with that,” says Ben McGee, Chief Scientist with Aleta Technology.
This digital day and age may come with a price, as things become more and more automated.
"What we're seeing is a lot of the cars are starting to have a much more rich feature set, the touch screens based off of an Android operating system,” says McGee.
But with that convenience comes vulnerability.
“Logically, a lot of the same vulnerabilities that are introduced with our phones are now becoming reality in the cars,” McGee says.
Hackers can get access to other things, like keyless entry, and other things you may not ever have thought possible.
"Your tire pressure monitoring system, your Bluetooth in your car,” says Jay Kurowsky, President and CEO of Aleta Technology. "Think about these new cars that even park themselves. Imagine if a hacker could get access to that control system and have you park when you think you're going 80 miles an hour down 565. Some serious problems."
And there's even cars with built-in wifi now, like 2015 Chevy Malibus.
"The 4g LTE gives our customers a wave of new ways to connect their vehicle, all their mobile devices, all into one through their vehicle,” says Kyle Simons, with Landers McClarty.
"It not only brings the show on the road, literally, but it gives new opportunities for vulnerabilities to be explored,” McGee says.
"Security concerns are going to be on the top of everybody's mind, but it is encrypted with WPA 2 software as well as software that's actually used for government top security clearances,” says Simons.
Companies like Aleta Technology specialize in technology safety and making sure that software is used only for what it’s intended to.
Experts say always make sure your devices have passwords, and make sure you don't use the same password for every account.
