Tesla has been hacked at the Pwn2Own hacking event, and the hacking group has taken home a Tesla Model 3 and $100,000.

As electric vehicles and their significant amount of integrated software have become more common in everyday life, the security around them has become significantly more critical. In the worst-case scenario, a hacker could not only gain access to a car but could leak user data or even take control of the vehicle. Now, at the Pwn2Own hacking competition, a group of hackers successfully hacked a Tesla Model 3 and won the vehicle along with a $100,000 prize.

The successful hack completed by the group Synactiv was initially reported by the Zero Day Initiative Twitter account, revealing that the group had used a TOCTOU exploit to gain access to the vehicle

Twitter

Thanks to the nature of the hacking competition, the details of how the hack was performed have not been made entirely public to avoid a security risk for Tesla owners. Still, the method the hackers used was relatively straightforward.

The TOCTOU (Time-Of-Check Time-Of-Use) exploit involves altering internal files to gain system access. In essence, the hackers are altering the files that a system will check to ensure someone actually should have access. This could, for example, involve changing login credentials to allow yourself access. However, as the name suggests, this is highly time-dependent, as it involves using the discrepancy of time between the system checking the files and a person actually being logged in.

Pwn2Own is one of the most famous hacking events in the world. It involves teams of hackers attempting to gain access to some of the most popular software available on the market. Each group of hackers and security researchers will be given a list of devices and software and a series of objectives to achieve. The first team to navigate through the list gains a cash prize. In this case, for completing this step of the competition quickest, the Synactive team won the Tesla Model 3 that they hacked.

With software becoming ever more interconnected with the vehicles we drive, focusing on keeping that software secure will only become more important as time passes. And with the increasing interconnectedness of these car systems, the consequences of not keeping these systems secure will only become more dire. Hopefully, automakers will take this threat seriously and continue to work to keep their items as safe and secure as possible.

Also hacked at this event: Windows 11, Ubuntu, and MacOS

https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-hack...-pwn2own-2023/

 

That's awesome I love stuff like this. Tesla should hire some of those guys.

Stealing a Tesla or any smart car has all kinds of gotchas, even if you drive the car away it will quickly be black listed you can't charge at a Supercharger. No more updates for you. And Tesla can find the car quickly. So you'll have to break it down for parts chop shop style.

 

Tesla probably paid the bounty, which is why they got a free Tesla. Then Tesla can plug the vulnerability that allowed them access. Google also pays bounties to hackers if their products get hacked. As you mentioned, Tesla's can be tracked through the app, same with my Polestar, I can pull up its location where it's parked

 

Yeah I really am not stressed about getting my Tesla stolen as long as I have my phone. Seems pretty easy to track. To be fair I really don’t worry about any of my cars being stolen but less so with my Tesla.

 

Plus there is insurance

 

Time for a few Tesla negatives as observed by me.

• Most egregious is Tesla removing ultrasonic sensors which instantly disabled park assist features something every modern car has. I'm fine with removing the sensors since vision only long term will do the job and likely better. But for at least 5 months people simply had cars with no park assist at all with the promise of it coming back. Now Tesla is finally rolling out vision only version but it will likely take time for it to mature. Why not leave the USS in the car until vision only park assist is working? This feels like an Elon ultimatum gone wrong but that's pure speculation
• Matrix headlights. Cars are shipping with them but no software to drive them, which will "come later". Is controlling a matrix headlight really that hard? Why isn't this working now
• Model 3/Y getting rid of wood trim. Some won't care but I wish they could at least keep wood trim as an option
• Tesla is removing the outside temperature sensor completely and will rely on weather data. This is unforgivable, being able to see actual ambient at any time should be a standard feature
• Tesla tail lights are still using 620nm red they should have moved to deep red 660nm for a more modern look. Super easy to do, swap out the LEDs in the housing that's it no other changes needed
• Interior lighting on a Tesla is just okay
• No 360 camera view. Easy enough for Tesla to implement since their cars have cameras everywhere. I personally don't care either way but many love it.
• Hardware 3 cars will not be able to upgrade to Hardware 4. Unfortunate casualty of ever improving tech but would have been great for Tesla to make older cars able to retrofit HW4

 

Most of what you mentioned here for me is not a big deal. I have the same issue with the polestars adaptive headlights, we are waiting for a software update to enable the advanced features. Don't care about the wood trim removal, nor the tail lights. Lastly the camera system is way more advanced as it is than any of the cars I own, so no love lost there

 

Agree with these.

Add HUD and BSM

 

HUD would be nice, but I wouldn't hold my breath

 

model y survey I saw here (not x) I recalled from last year. I thought it interesting so many want air suspension

https://www.torquenews.com/1083/top-...d-android-auto

 

Air suspension, or an option for it would be nice! Could happen one day for the Y, I would be doubtful the M3 would ever get it

 

they want air suspension because the y suspension is so flinty hard.
it could be more comfortable without going to air.

 

teslas don't have bsm!?

 

Actually the 2023 Model Y long range has pretty nice suspension and a comfortable ride. It's the Model Y Performance that has the harsher ride, part of that is the 20" tires. It's the same with the M3P, which also has the harsher ride

 

My Polestar actually has this feature. It won't blow the air until it's warmed to the correct temp. Polestar 1, Tesla 0


Tesla has shipped a new feature in its most recent software update that eliminates the worst part of cabin heat: the cold air that comes out before the vehicle has sufficiently warmed up.

Tesla vehicles consistently improve through software updates, and they can feature things such as updates to vehicle performance, bug fixes, or in this case, convenience options.

These updates roll out regularly, giving Tesla owners a unique advantage over some other automotive manufacturers by offering improvements that can be downloaded like a phone update.

In Tesla’s 2023.6.9 software update, there are several improvements to past features like Apple Music, and undocumented changes like the appearance of a tire pressure card.

Tesla is also releasing a feature called “Climate System Warming Up,” which will make sure the air is heated to the desired temperature before the fan activates and releases it from the vents (via Not A Tesla App):

“Your vehicle will now display ‘Warming Up’ above the cabin temperature when the vehicle is waiting for the air in the HVAC system to warm up before turning on the fan.”






This is a convenience feature that will save drivers the discomfort of having cold air blow out of the vents when the cabin is already cold. Instead of guessing when the vehicle is finally warm enough to blow out warmer air, your Tesla will now allow you to select the temperature, and the air will not blow out of the HVAC system until it has reached this temperature.

Tesla has made various improvements to in-car features over the years to improve the comfort of the driver while the vehicle is in operation. Along with this feature, drivers with newer vehicles also have access to heated steering wheels and cabin preconditioning, which allows owners to heat up the vehicle at a specific temperature with the mobile app.

https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-ship...rt-cabin-heat/