While we’re on the joint subject of cars and security, I should dredge up this item that I’ve had hanging about for a few months. It’s from Ars Technica, and reports that researchers have hacked into the control systems of cars because those systems are often not secured:

The tire pressure monitors built into modern cars have been shown to be insecure by researchers from Rutgers University and the University of South Carolina.

New Scientist tells us that the encryption between electronic key fobs and car ignition systems has been cracked in many cases. The reason is that most car manufacturers are using weak and/or home-grown encryption:

A device fitted within the key fob of a modern car broadcasts an encrypted radio signal to the car as the driver starts the vehicle. If the signal is recognised by the car’s receiver, it responds by sending an encrypted signal to the engine control unit (ECU), which allows the car to start.

A French court has just decided a case that will likely have a great deal of effect on online search engines if the decision is upheld after appeals. A French man had been accused of “crimes relating to the corruption of a minor,” ultimately resulting in a suspended sentence.

There’s a relatively newly discovered (within the last few months) computer worm called Stuxnet, which exploits several Windows vulnerabilities (some of which were patched some time ago) as it installs itself on people’s computers. It largely replicates through USB memory sticks, and not so much over the Internet (though it can replicate through storage devices shared over networks). And it’s something of an odd bird. Its main target isn’t (at least for now) the computers it’s compromised, and it’s not trying to enslave the computers to send spam, collect credit card numbers, or mount attacks on web sites.