Uber has hired hackers in order for them to conduct well-rounded research on their self-driving cars.
According to the Wall Street Journal , Uber Technologies Inc. hired security researchers Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek, who will work in the company’s Pittsburgh lab. They will be testing out some programs in hopes of making these potential self-driving cars successful — and safe.
“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.”
News that Uber hired the hackers to work for their company is getting mixed reviews. Naturally, as mentioned in the quote above, some car companies aren’t too happy with the idea of hacking tests. However, some consumers think it is important research that needs to be done, and that Uber has quite a remarkable vision of the future, and what road travelers can expect in coming years.
According to WGN TV , Miller and Valasek are both computer engineers, and are both well-qualified to conduct such testing for Uber.
“They were hired to design a safety and security system for Uber. Miller used to work for Twitter as a security researcher. He used the social media site to announce that he starts his new job tomorrow.”
Looking forward to starting Tuesday with the great team at @Uber Advanced Technology Center. Should be a cool challenge and a lot of fun.
— Charlie Miller (@0xcharlie) August 28, 2015
As previously reported by the Inquisitr , the job of these hackers is essential to finding out if Uber can ultimately achieve their goals. These guys will work hard to “ test, penetrate, and expose vulnerabilities ” so that self-driving Uber cars can’t be hijacked (or, at least, not by known technology).
Do you think Uber is smart by hiring these hackers to work on their self-driving cars? Do you think that the hackers will be successful in finding a way to make it impossible for outside sources to remotely gain access to these vehicles? Do you think self-driving cars will be a thing in the future? Will they be successful?
[Photo by Spencer Platt / Getty Images News]
