Fast-forward 17 years and there are apps for everything — even your car. Chances are, if an app might make part of your life easier, someone will develop it and plenty of people will use it.

Over the past few years, the concept of the connected car has continued to evolve — and become reality. At this year’s RSA Conference in San Francisco, our anti-malware researchers Victor Chebyshev and Mikhail Kuzin presented research that they conducted on seven popular apps for vehicles.

The apps seem to make users’ lives easier by linking their Android devices to their automobiles, but we have asked: Are we trading security for convenience? And as with many IoT connected devices, the answer is, security needs to become more of a priority for developers and manufacturers.

The primary functions of these apps are to open doors and in many instances start the car. Unfortunately, flaws in the apps could be exploited by attackers:

No protection against application reverse engineering. As a result, malefactors can dig in and find vulnerabilities that give them access to server-side infrastructure or to the car’s multimedia system.
No code integrity check. This allows criminals to incorporate their own code in the app, adding malicious capabilities and replacing the original program with a fake one on user’s device.
No rooting detection techniques. Root rights provide Trojans with almost endless capabilities and leave the app defenseless.
Lack of protection against overlaying techniques. This allows malicious apps to show phishing windows on top of original apps’ windows, tricking users into entering login credentials in windows that send the info to criminals.
Storage of logins and passwords in plain text. Using this weakness, a criminal can steal users’ data relatively easily.

Upon successful exploitation, an attacker can gain control over the car, unlock the doors, turn off the security alarm and, theoretically, even steal the vehicle.

The researchers disclosed their findings to the developers (they did not disclose names of the apps publicly) and also told them that no exploitations had been seen in the wild. A full, detailed report on this can be found over on Securelist, where each of the apps is evaluated.

It’s easy to bury your head in the sand, thinking you won’t be hacked or that this is the stuff of science fiction, but the truth is, ever since its invention, the automobile has been a target for criminals. And if there is a hack to make things easier, just imagine the possibilities.

Another thing to keep in mind is that we’ve already seen vulnerabilities allow smart white-hat hackers to make the jump from “benign vulnerability” to controlling a car. Two of the bigger automotive stories of the past two years was about how Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek took control of a Jeep via vulnerabilities.

Ultimately, personal security and app usage come down to personal preference. Who we share our data with or entrust our convenience to is really up to us. With IoT devices and apps, convenience is too often considered before security.

In closing, Chebyshev notes:

“Applications for connected cars are not ready to withstand malware attacks. We expect that car manufacturer will have to go down the same road that banks have already taken with their applications… After multiple cases of attacks against banking apps, many banks have improved the security of their products.

“Luckily, we have not yet detected any cases of attacks against car applications, which means that car vendors still have time to do things right. How much time they have exactly is unknown. Modern Trojans are very flexible — one day they can act like normal adware, and the next day they can easily download a new configuration, making it possible to target new apps. The attack surface is really vast here.”

Most of us don’t think about car theft prevention until it’s too late. But the fact is, learning how to prevent a car theft is knowledge you need.

Consider this: a vehicle is stolen every 44 seconds in the United States according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). While 50 percent are recovered, that somewhat encouraging figure doesn’t tell the whole story.

As a police officer, I helped reunite victims with their stolen vehicles on a regular basis and rarely was it a joyous occasion. That’s because it only takes moments for a criminal to strip down your car for parts, crash it during a joy ride, or ditch it while fleeing law enforcement. The car you get back looks nothing like the one that was once parked in your driveway.

If you don’t want a criminal sitting behind the wheel of your car, you need to educate yourself on how to prevent car theft. Drawing on my experience as a law enforcement officer, I’ve put together this car theft prevention guide as a starting point for doing so.

1. Keep track of your keys.

If your vehicle is missing, one of the first questions a police offer will ask is “do you have all the keys?” Many people make the mistake of hiding a spare key under the wheel-well or some other place under their car. The problem is, just like hiding a key under your front doorstep, criminals have caught on to this trick. Getting locked out of your car is inconvenient, but can’t touch the hassle you’ll go through if your car is stolen. Also, if you have given a spare car key to someone who no longer needs it, ask for it back immediately.

2. Secure your vehicle.

Whenever you park your car, even in your own driveway, close and lock the windows/doors to help prevent car theft. This seems like a basic security tactic, but we all know how easy it is to become complacent. Although it makes the first moments you enter your car a tad uncomfortable, resist the temptation to leave windows cracked during the summer. If there’s a teenage driver in your household, pass this valuable car theft prevention tip along.

3. Park intelligently.

Parking in a well-lit area will help deter criminals, but parking close to building entrances and near parking lot security cameras adds extra layers of protection. Parking garages are often considered safe places for parking your car so it won’t get damaged, but parking in an isolated garage could compromise your personal safety. If you do use a parking garage, try to park as close to the attendant or a security camera as possible.

4. Valuables don’t belong in your vehicle.

The number of times a victim told me they left their purse or other valuable items in their vehicle is disheartening. Take note: something like an iPad sitting on the passenger’s seat of your car is eye-candy to a criminal. Sadly, even loose change is enough for some people to break in. Once he’s smashed a window to snatch your iPad, he might just decide to go all the way and take your car. If you absolutely must leave a valuable item in your car, put it in the trunk. But beware, the bad guy may be watching you do so. Help prevent car theft by thinking ahead and leaving valuables at home.

5. Use a physical anti-theft device.

Roughly 40 percent of insurance companies offer a premium discount for vehicles that have an antitheft device. That’s because these devices go a long way toward car theft prevention. Thieves are looking for an easy target, one they can conquer quickly without drawing attention to themselves. Physical anti-theft devices include vehicle immobilizer systems that prevent thieves from hotwiring your car. California, Florida, and Texas are the nation’s leading car theft states, according to NHTSA data. If you live in one of them, researching anti-theft devices could save you some money on car insurance and spare you the aggravation of a car theft.

6. Don’t leave your car running.

You need to know that nearly half of all auto thefts could have been easily avoided if the vehicle owner took reasonable precautions, such as turning the car off when not in use. We’ve all started our car on a wintry morning, then headed back inside our home to top off our coffee. But did you know that more than a third of all vehicle thefts occur near the car owner’s residence? Leaving your car running not only invites theft, it’s also illegal in many states. If you’re not behind the wheel, help prevent car theft by turning your vehicle off.

7. Take advantage of a tech-based auto recovery tool.

If despite your efforts the worst happens, employing an auto-theft recovery tool could help you get your car back before it’s ruined. Systems like OnStar use GPS technology to pinpoint your vehicle and transmit that information to law enforcement. OnStar can also remotely lock your car’s ignition and can work in tandem with police to send a signal to your vehicle that makes it slow down safely.

Keeping your vehicle out of the hands of a criminal is easier when you outfit your home with a professional security system that includes outdoor cameras, motion detectors and even mobile security alerts. Discover the security system that will keep your car and your family safe with the system finder tool.

According to FBI reports, in 2015 in the US alone, a motor vehicle was stolen every 45 seconds.

We spend only a fraction of our time in our cars that we spend a lot of money on, so it’s good to know what goes on with our cars when we’re not around to watch them.

We can’t scare the thieves away or arrest them, but you’ll get a notification to your phone every time someone tries to compromise your car or tamper with the device – even when someone just hits your car while it’s parked, and tries to get away with it. The notification you receive from We will allow you to catch thieves or reckless drivers.

Even if you’re too late to catch the perpetrators on spot, We allows you to monitor the movement of your vehicle and report the location of your car to the authorities so they can retrieve it and return it to the safety of your garage.

With we car tracking feature you can even park your car wherever you like while you run your errands, without ever worrying if your car is safe or if you can remember where you parked it. We provides you peace of mind while your car is parked.