So what exactly is a 'connected car'? This article about cyber security and hacking risks that are now presenting themselves with the innovation of smart cities and connected cars, in which my father Richard Kirk, SVP at AlienVault is quoted, prompted me find out more. As new technologies are transforming the automotive sector, this rapidly changing digital technology is a game changer, for both the industry and the consumer. Whereas previously the focus of a car would be ensuring that the internal experience is optimised, this is now changing, by giving the car the ability to connect with the outside world and optimise it's functions and comfort using internet connectivity. As Richard Kirk points out, this brings many benefits, from programming journeys and the car optimising it's own maintenance, to onboard passenger sensors for comfort, as well as the ability to locate stolen vehicles. However, Kirk draws an interesting comparison to the iPhone (think Find my Phone and its powers/risks), and a car out of control and being hacked can do a whole lot more damage than an iPhone, as well as revealing personal and private data. Kirk points out that frequently businesses are so driven by profit, and that safety innovation is often viewed as a drain on this in the short term, that they do not invest unless required to do so by regulatory bodies. Proactivity, instead of reactivity, sounds like the way forward here, in order to ensure we don't have big hunks of metal being hacked into and quite literally, on the run, on our streets, and out of control.