Cars Hacked and Disabled in Texas

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More than 100 cars in Austin, Texas, were hacked and either disabled or had their car alarms go off, apparently the work of a former employee of a car dealership, police said.

The vehicles were equipped with Pay Technologies immobilizers, which are units put into financed cars so that if owners are late with their loan payments, the company can kill the engines.

The former employee, Omar Ramos-Lopez, 20, accessed the Texas Auto Center’s computer system to disable vehicles or activate the horns, police said. The dealership heard from more than 80 customers who complained of missing work, towing, repairs and a host of other problems that arose from the mischief.

Police arrested Ramos-Lopez and charged him with breach of computer security.

Hacker Shut Down 100 Cars Remotely (KXAN Austin News)