Yikes. Fiat Chrysler announced on Friday that it’s recalling 1.4 million automobiles due to concerns about their software security. The announcement comes just days after hackers demonstrated a terrifying hack of a Jeep that was driving down the highway at 70 miles per hour. 
 
 BACKGROUND: Hackers take over a Jeep driving down the highway at 70 mph 
 
 The company says that it’s also “applied network-level security measures to prevent the type of remote manipulation demonstrated in a recent media report,” presumably referring to the report in Wired earlier this week that detailed the Jeep hack. 
 
 The vulnerability affects cars equipped with 8.4-inch touch displays on the inside. Here is the complete list of cars that may be affected: 
 
 2013-2015 MY Dodge Viper specialty vehicles 
 
 2013-2015 Ram 1500, 2500 and 3500 pickups 
 
 2013-2015 Ram 3500, 4500, 5500 Chassis Cabs 
 
 2014-2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Cherokee SUVs 
 
 2014-2015 Dodge Durango SUVs 
 
 2015 MY Chrysler 200, Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger sedans 
 
 2015 Dodge Challenger sports coupes 
 
 Customers whose vehicles are affected by the threat will receive USB devices that will offer additional security upgrades besides the patches that FCA delivered over the air this week. 
 
 Earlier this week, Wired reported that hackers Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek had developed code that could use a Jeep’s entertainment system to control “its dashboard functions, steering, brakes, and transmission, all from a laptop that may be across the country.” The hackers plan to give their research a full vetting at the big Black Hat conference in Las Vegas next month in what will surely be a highlight of the show. 
 
 To learn more, check out FCA’s full press release posted below. ||||| Chrysler has quietly released a Jeep software update to fix a major security vulnerability that could allow hackers to remotely hijack your vehicle. 
 
 The flaw, discovered by security researchers Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek, affects an Internet-connected computer feature in the dashboard called Uconnect—an optional upgrade that does not come standard in Chrysler vehicles. The duo recently demonstrated how they can leverage the flaw to remotely hack into a Jeep, taking Wired writer Andy Greenberg on a ride he won't soon forget. 
 
 Greenberg agreed to be the researcher's "digital crash-test dummy" and willingly got behind the wheel of a Jeep Cherokee on public roads in St. Louis. That's when things started getting weird. 
 
 "Though I hadn't touched the dashboard, the vents in the Jeep Cherokee started blasting cold air at the maximum setting," he wrote in his account of the incident. "Next the radio switched to the local hip hop station ... I spun the control knob left and hit the power button, to no avail. Then the windshield wipers turned on, and wiper fluid blurred the glass." 
 
 The hackers—sitting comfortably on the couch in Miller's basement 10 miles away—flashed an image of themselves on the car's digital display. Greenberg didn't panic; the hackers had assured him they wouldn't do anything life threatening. Then they cut the transmission. 
 
 "Immediately my accelerator stopped working. As I frantically pressed the pedal and watched the RPMs climb, the Jeep lost half its speed, then slowed to a crawl. The experiment had ceased to be fun," Greenberg wrote. 
 
 He then grabbed his iPhone and started to "beg" the hackers to stop. They had one more trick up their sleeves, though. 
 
 "The most disturbing maneuver came when they cut the Jeep's brakes, leaving me frantically pumping the pedal as the 2-ton SUV slid uncontrollably into a ditch," Greenberg wrote. 
 
 The hackers said they're still working on "perfecting steering control," and for now can only hijack the wheel when the car is in reverse. They can also track the vehicle's coordinates, measure its speed, and drop pins on a map to track its route. 
 
 The attack is especially notable because the hackers executed it wirelessly, while not physically connected to the car with a laptop, which is how other car hacks have been carried out in the past. Miller and Valasek said they plan to reveal more details about the flaw at the Black Hat Conference next month. 
 
 For now, owners of vehicles with the Uconnect feature should install the update as soon as possible. The patch must be manually installed via USB stick or by a dealership mechanic. The flaw is said to affect several 2013-2014 models of Dodge Ram; the 2013-2014 Dodge Viper; the 2014 Jeep Cherokee, Jeep Grand Cherokee, and Dodge Durango; the 2015 Jeep Cherokee and Jeep Grand Cherokee; and 2015 Chrysler 200s. 
 
 In a statement, Chrysler didn't seem thrilled about how the researchers disclosed the problem. 
 
 "Under no circumstances does [Fiat Chrysler Automobiles] condone or believe it's appropriate to disclose 'how-to information' that would potentially encourage, or help enable hackers to gain unauthorized and unlawful access to vehicle systems," the company said. 
 
 Chrysler did, however, tell Wired that it "appreciates" Miller and Valasek's work. "We appreciate the contributions of cybersecurity advocates to augment the industry's understanding of potential vulnerabilities," Chrysler said. "However, we caution advocates that in the pursuit of improved public safety they not, in fact, compromise public safety." 
 
 The software update is free; customers with questions can call Vehicle Care at 1-877-855-8400.
– Here's a first in the annals of auto recalls: Fiat Chrysler is providing a fix for 1.4 million vehicles because they might be vulnerable to hackers, reports BGR. Owners of the affected cars—which all have 8.4-inch touchscreens—will apparently receive a USB dongle containing security upgrades as part of the "voluntary safety recall," notes Engadget. The automaker also says it "applied network-level security measures" in the wake of a report in Wired that provided a first-person account of hackers gaining control of a Jeep remotely. The vehicles affected, from the automaker's statement: 2013-2015 MY Dodge Viper specialty vehicles 2013-2015 Ram 1500, 2500 and 3500 pickups 2013-2015 Ram 3500, 4500, 5500 Chassis Cabs 2014-2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Cherokee SUVs 2014-2015 Dodge Durango SUVs 2015 MY Chrysler 200, Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger sedans 2015 Dodge Challenger sports coupes