TEMPE, Ariz. – May 2, 2016 – CrimeStopper has announced the launch of its new 1-Way Security and Keyless Entry System.

“Our new SP-102 is the start of our deluxe universal security system with keyless entry,” explained Alvin Klement, national sales manager, security & safety products. “The system includes two small four-button remotes with up to 500 ft. of range, featuring a dual stage shock sensor, siren, and starter kill output. There is a lot of security packed into a very small package.”

The CrimeStopper SP-102 allows the user to arm/lock, disarm/unlock, and release the trunk as well as do all of these functions without audible alerts with silent mode. The SP-102 also offers single or double pulse for unlock as well as the ability to work with electric or vacuum locking systems.

The SP-102 is scheduled to ship June 1 with an MSRP of $69.95.

“We are also launching a new look with the SP-102’s packaging, one that will soon be emulated within the rest of the line,” added Klement. “Combined with our new and improved website, we are excited about what CrimeStopper has in store for our customers in both the short and long term.”

For more than 30 years in the North American market, CrimeStopper, Inc. has been an industry leader in 12-volt aftermarket electronics and has become a one-stop-shop for all total vehicle security and safety needs. Over the past decade, the company has been recognized for offering the widest selection of vehicle security and remote start systems in the marketplace. It has also expanded its product line to include a wide variety of vehicle safety products such as cameras, monitors, wireless video systems, collision avoidance and parking sensor systems, and DVR systems.

For more information, visit www.crimestopper.com.

Computer World -- Two U.S. senators today filed a bill that would require the federal government to establish standards to ensure automakers secure a driver against vehicle cyber attacks.

The Security and Privacy in Your Car (SPY Car) Act, filed by Sens. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), also establishes a rating system — or "cyber dashboard"— that informs consumers about how well the vehicle protects drivers' security and privacy beyond the proposed federal minimum standards.

"Drivers shouldn't have to choose between being connected and being protected," Sen. Markey said in a statement. "We need clear rules of the road that protect cars from hackers and American families from data trackers. This legislation will set minimum standards and transparency rules to protect the data, security and privacy of drivers in the modern age of increasingly connected vehicles."

Read the rest of the story here: http://www.computerworld.com/article/2950520/data-privacy/senators-propose-bill-to-tighten-vehicle-security-privacy-standards.html

4/26/2016, GAO -- The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) conducted a recent study on vehcile cybersecurity and the efforts underway to protect drivers from future threats. There following is an excerpt of that study:

What GAO Found

Modern vehicles contain multiple interfaces—connections between the vehicle and external networks—that leave vehicle systems, including safety-critical systems, such as braking and steering, vulnerable to cyberattacks. Researchers have shown that these interfaces—if not properly secured—can be exploited through direct, physical access to a vehicle, as well as remotely through short-range and long-range wireless channels. For example, researchers have shown that attackers could compromise vulnerabilities in the short-range wireless connections to vehicles' Bluetooth units—which enable hands-free cell phone use—to gain access to in-vehicle networks, to take control over safety-critical functions such as the brakes. Among the interfaces that can be exploited through direct access, most stakeholders we spoke with expressed concerns about the statutorily mandated on-board diagnostics port, which provides access to a broad range of vehicle systems for emissions and diagnostic testing purposes. However, the majority of selected industry stakeholders we spoke with (23 out of 32) agreed that wireless attacks, such as those exploiting vulnerabilities in vehicles' built-in cellular-calling capabilities, would pose the largest risk to passenger safety. Such attacks could potentially impact a large number of vehicles and allow an attacker to access targeted vehicles from anywhere in the world. Despite these concerns, some stakeholders pointed out that such attacks remain difficult because of the time and expertise needed to carry them out and thus far have not been reported outside of the research environment.

Key Vehicle Interfaces That Could Be Exploited in a Vehicle Cyberattack

In this context, long-range refers to access at distances over 1 kilometer.

This port is mandated in vehicles by statute for emission-testing purposes and to facilitate diagnostic assessments of vehicles, such as by repair shops. 

Selected industry stakeholders, both in the United States and Europe, informed GAO that a range of key practices is available to identify and mitigate potential vehicle-cybersecurity vulnerabilities. For instance, the majority of selected industry stakeholders we spoke with (22 out of 32) indicated that—to the extent possible—automakers should locate safety-critical systems and non-safety-critical systems on separate in-vehicle networks and limit communication between the two types of systems, a concept referred to as “domain separation.” However, some of these stakeholders also pointed out that complete separation is often not possible or practical because some limited communication will likely need to occur between safety-critical and other vehicle systems. In addition, selected industry stakeholders we spoke to identified technological solutions that can be incorporated into the vehicle to make it more secure. However, according to stakeholders, many of these technologies—such as message encryption and authentication, which can be used to secure and verify the legitimacy of communications occurring along in-vehicle networks—cannot be incorporated into existing vehicles. Rather, such technologies must be incorporated during the vehicle design and production process, which according to stakeholders, takes approximately 5 years to complete.

Read the rest of the study here: http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-16-350?utm_medium=email&utm_source=transportationcommunicationsnewsletter