Official News - page 9

REAL LIFE NEWS: INTERNET-CONTROLLED CARS

by Hazed

We've had the internet-controlled fridge, now it's time for the internet-controlled car. No, it's not a real James Bond-style remote controlled car that can trundle off down the road with no driver, but it does let you do a variety of useful things from the comfort of your arm chair.

The system from Inilex allows you to unlock your car door, start the engine, disable it or display the car's location by logging into the system over the net. Sounds very handy if you want to get the car warmed up on a cold winter morning, or keep track of where your kids have got to if you've let them drive the car.

You can also ring a toll-free number which could help if you forget where you've parked the car (something I often do in huge multi-storey car parks), or discover it's been stolen when you are out and about and don't have net access.

But... what about the security implications? How easy is it going to be to hack into this system? Someone could start the engine and leave it running to use up all the petrol. Or start the engine, knowing the car was left in gear, so it lurches forward and hits something. Or disable the engine while the owner is driving along. Or, at the very least, use the tracking facilities to see where somebody goes. Sounds like a security nightmare that could give a whole new meaning to the phrase "war driving"!

Speaking of cars and security, here's a fabulous picture of a security system for a car.

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