Internet security guru Eugene Kaspersky warned on the vulnerability of internet-connected cars in an interview with the Financial Times.

The founder of Kaspersky Labs, a leading security firm, said the sheer number of connected devices in cars, from safety sensors to GPS trackers, means they have become “more safe but less secure” to hackers.

Drivers’ safety may have been enhanced but such innovation means vehicles are now vulnerable to a different kind of risk, he argues.

And Kaspersky reckons it may take the security industry as long as ten years to contain the threat. “The definition of good security is that the attack must cost more than the possible damage. We can reach this level — but I am afraid that may be for a decade, maybe less,” he said.

Last year, Wired reported that hackers remotely took control of a moving Jeep Cherokee in a controlled incident. They started by changing the internal temperature of the vehicle, Next, they tuned the radio. And then they switched on the windshield wipers, and blurred the vision for the driver. Finally they disabled the car entirely.

Kaspersky acknowledges that bodies such as the European Commission are working on fixing the threat, but reckons that will take some time. “The governments, the carmakers, they understand the problem, finally.”

“They are close to designing the solution, and then they have to implement it. And that will take years. I’m sorry.”