The FBI and US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have warned that motor vehicles are “increasingly vulnerable" to cyber attacks.
The warning comes in the wake of a demonstration by researchers that showed how a vehicle can be remotely controlled by exploiting wireless communications vulnerabilities.
Last year, a demonstration by Wired magazine revealed the vulnerability of a Jeep Cherokee to hacking, which prompted Fiat Chrysler to recall of 1.4m vehicles.
The recall was the first of its kind in the auto industry.
"The FBI and NHTSA are warning the general public and manufacturers - of vehicles, vehicle components, and aftermarket devices - to maintain awareness of potential issues and cybersecurity threats related to connected vehicle technologies in modern vehicles," the agencies said in the bulletin.
Manufacturers have been criticized by experts for not focusing on security issues while designing the vehicles, though they offer advanced features.
General Motors added a security feature for a smartphone app last year, without which hackers could have accessed a few functions of a plug-in hybrid electric Chevrolet Volt, Reuters reported.
Similarly, in January 2015, BMW said that it had rectified a security loophole that could have made it possible for hackers to remotely control the opening of doors in nearly 2.2m of its vehicles.
"While not all hacking incidents may result in a risk to safety - such as an attacker taking control of a vehicle - it is important that consumers take appropriate steps to minimize risk," the FBI bulletin said.
NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind said last that automakers must expedite effort to address cyberattacks in vehicles.
The FBI bulletin cautioned that "if manufacturers regularly make software updates for vehicles available online, it is possible that criminals may exploit this delivery method. A criminal could send socially engineered e-mail messages to vehicle owners who are looking to obtain legitimate software updates."
