I don't think they're necessarily asserting that the security researchers carried out a criminal act in demonstrating that the vehicle could be hacked (they almost certainly didn't). But they would be correct to assert that anybody who hacks someone's Jeep without their permission certainly WOULD be carrying out a criminal act. As such, I think they're reasonable in pointing out that this is not a safety issue but rather a protecting-their-customers-from-assholes issue.
