A survey from the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) has revealed 51% of people fear their car being accessed and controlled by a hacker.

The latest advances in motoring technology provide important benefits, giving drivers alerts about vehicle faults and servicing as well as insight into vehicle performance. 

However many drivers and passengers are unaware of the security risks of today’s connected vehicles. 50% of people surveyed by the IMI said they aren’t aware that their car is open to cyber-attacks, much like a home computer, and in fact can be controlled and stolen using Wi-Fi technology by anyone accessing the onboard computer systems.

A key factor in ensuring the security of automotive data is knowing that the technicians working on a vehicle are properly qualified and adhere to a professional standard.  This is probably why 86% of people surveyed by the IMI believe vehicle technicians should be qualified and regulated to carry out repairs.

Steve Nash FIMI, chief executive at the IMI, said: “Computer diagnostics are becoming commonplace in the motor industry today but the bulk of the work in servicing is still of a mechanical nature. The technological revolution in the automotive sector is shifting and broadening the skills needed by a maintenance technician to that of a systems analyst.

“With the sector currently unregulated and no national standards in place it’s not always possible to track the people who may have access to our personal information. Car technology will continue to develop which means it’s more important than ever that vehicle technicians have not only the mechanical skills but the ICT skills to be able to service and maintain these vehicles in the safest possible way with an acute awareness of their legal and ethical responsibilities when accessing vehicle data.”