Uber Hires Two Hackers to Work on Self-Driving Cars’ Defenses
Uber Hires Two Hackers to Work on Self-Driving Cars’
Defenses
The ride-hailing company confirmed the hire of security
researchers known for hacking into a Jeep Cherokee’s system
By DANNY YADRON Aug. 28, 2015 7:49 p.m. ET
Uber Technologies Inc. wants to make self-driving cars
and naturally, it doesn’t want people to hack them.
The ride-hailing company confirmed on Friday that it had
hired two well-known car hackers to help devise its own defenses. Security
researchers Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek will work for the Uber Advanced
Technologies Center in Pittsburgh.
The center, launched this past winter, is working on maps
and automation technology with a cadre of former Carnegie Mellon University
robotics experts.
Messrs. Miller and Valasek caused a stir earlier this
summer when they brought a Jeep Cherokee to a halt on a St. Louis highway by
wirelessly hacking into its entertainment system.
The stunt angered executives of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
NV and the automobile industry’s trade group. But it played differently in
Silicon Valley, where such security research is common. Tesla Motors Inc., for
instance, worked closely with two other researchers who hacked one of its Model
S sedans for a presentation at a hacker conference last month.
An Uber spokeswoman confirmed the hire, reported earlier
by Reuters.
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