darkdream

UCSD and University of Washington demonstrated that there does not need to be a direct wired connection. You can hack a car through wireless or GSM signals. You can also program a procedure to take control over a car after certain conditions are met. It can be encrypted into a music file so if you hook up a usb drive to the car it can take control from there. Also if someone taints dealership's software upgrades, they can do the same using the OBD2 port.

With steering being electric they can control steering, with transmission becoming more and more completely electronic like bmw's automatic transmission (you will not even be able to shift to neutral), even parking brakes are becoming electronic. You can easily fool signals to set off airbags while the person is driving, cars with abs braking can have the brakes controlled, etc.

The good thing is that driving signals are VERY predictable compared to computer networks so it is easy to develop a cheap NCP microcontroller with a simple board to detect hacking and put the car into a "limp mode" where only the most basic car functions will be operating (shut off power steering, abs, etc), so the driver can safety pull over.

Allen K

iTrader: (4)

When you say hack through wireless or GSM, do you mean hack entirely through wireless/GSM or only after having some physical access to the car? Even in the recent BMW hack, the only thing they could do was unlock the doors or roll down the windows.

tex2670

When some automaker installs the HAL 9000 as the onboard computer, THEN I'll be worried.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

lots of things are possible. the nsa can apparently decrypt ssl traffic in real time as well. but do i stay up at night worrying about that? no.

Sulu

The sky is falling! The sky is falling!

Stop the world. I want to get off...

dicer

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On-board_diagnostics

Scroll to Mode #8

Then to the bottom for security.
Looks like darkdream got that one.

If someone didn't like how well a certain brand car was selling and taking over the market place then ? The list could go on. No foil hats there.

Sulu

In order to do what you (via Wikipedia) are referring to, the *bad guy* has to get in your car, plug his laptop computer into your OBD-II port, and then start re-programming.

Anybody see anything wrong with this?

1. The bad guy has to get into your car. If you left your car doors unlocked, you deserve whatever happens to it.

2. The bad guy needs a laptop computer with a bunch of peripherals hanging off it -- the interface to the OBD-II port and the cables leading to the USB port of the computer. If some guy is skulking around in the dead of night with a laptop bag over his shoulder and a ski-mask on...

3. It will take some time to plug in the computer, boot it up and start re-programming... You really think some hacker is going to go to all this trouble, and time and effort just to hack into some other Joe's Camry?

4. It may be easier to hack in if Joe's Camry has one of those insurance dongles hanging off his OBD-II port, sending data to his insurance provider. That opens the OBD-II port to cellphone signals, allowing a hacker to get in that way. But he would have to know the particular ID of that dongle in order to get in.

I don't use one of those insurance dongles. I don't want my insurance provider to know every last detail of every trip I make on the public highways, dodging idiots in other Camrys. I also do not want to leave a door open to potential hackers.

And I have more to worry about than some hacker skulking around in the middle of the night with a ski-mask on, a laptop bag over his shoulder, trying to get into my garage and trying to get in my car, just to steal it for a joyride or disable my steering.

darkdream

Or you can simply play some music through your iphone or cd you downloaded online.

Allen K

iTrader: (4)

So as long as I keep strangers with laptops and OBD dongles out of my car and buy music instead of illegally downloading it, I'm safe? Sounds pretty simple

Do you not see how insanely targeted the examples you're bringing up have to be? First, you need to find someone that wants to target you specifically and has the exact codes and knowledge necessary to hack your particular car. Then they need to either a) gain physical access to your car and hack it, b) convince you to download a file and play it on your car or c) give you a CD and convince you to put it in the CD player. Then, they have to wait until you are driving, log into your car, and cause you some harm. At this point, they would've been better served simply running you off the road

dicer

You are behind the times. There is bidirectional control through the OnStar and others telematics systems.

dicer

No you would have to cut the antenna wire and remove the transceiver box for the telematics.

Nick2JZ

i totally agreed with you, but then again some of these driver don't have a common sense. The Brake is more power than the horsepower, so i don't understand why he don't use it. Can't shift to neutral? Can't turn the ignition key off? Something just doesn't add up!

Nick2JZ

Thankyou agreed! and if all these 3 things happen to the driver, then god wants you back.................just like cancer no if or but your time on earth is expired.

Software/mechanical problem creating WOT
Transmission unable to be put in neutral
Ignition cannot be turned off

The probability of the all 3 of these things happening at once are next to impossible.[/QUOTE]

dicer

ABS is designed to override the drivers input and if the signal says all 4 wheels are in constant slipping mode then the brake pedal is ineffective.

Allen K

iTrader: (4)

I'm assuming this is part of the 60 minutes segment right? Again, did the segment specifically state that no physical alterations were made to the car? If not, then physical access or some software upload is still necessary