(Phys.org) -- Now that tiny computers and electronic
communications systems are being designed into cars, hackers can
look toward the car, like the PC, as potential roadkill. If cars
are to become computers on wheels, a number of security experts
are expanding their focus on car security systems and sources of
security threats. U.S. computer scientists from California and
Washington state have already identified ways in which computer
worms and Trojans are carried over to automobiles. Conduits
include onboard diagnostics systems, wireless connections and
even tainted CDs played on radios systems. Experts point out
that the numerous computers known as electronic control units,
or ECUs, require tens of millions of lines of computer code to
manage interconnected systems. These range from engines, brakes
and navigation to lighting, ventilation and entertainment. The
same wireless technologies that power cell phones and Bluetooth
headsets are in cars and in turn are vulnerable to remote
attacks. Unlike PCs, though