Tesla Motors, whose Model S is the latest vehicle to be hacked, has already issued a patch to shield software weaknesses.
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When turning off the auto systems, Mahaffey and Rogers discovered that they were able to apply the emergency hand brake if the vehicle was idle or traveling at under five miles an hour.
This hack is one of six flaws and vulnerabilities the researchers identified with the Model S’s security, the Financial Times reports via Reuters. While the researcher commends Tesla for how well it separated its massive infotainment system from the rest of the car’s controls at a top level, all it took for Mahaffey to get in was to compromise one part of the system directly and go from there.
The automaker said that its security team works carefully with the security research community to make sure that it continues to save its systems against susceptibilities by frequently validating, stress-testing, and upgrading its safeguards.
Researchers said more details surrounding the hack would be disclosed at the Def Con cybersecurity conference in Las Vegas on Friday.
The vulnerabilities were found by Lookout chief technology officer Kevin Mahaffey and Cloudflare researcher Marc Rogers.
The other feature the researchers say that all connected cars should have is Over The Air updates. Mahaffey and Rogers have warned Tesla that despite a direct access was required for the manipulation, hackers could compromise the driver’s safety.
Tesla Motors Inc stated on Thursday it has sent a software program patch to deal with security flaws within the Tesla Model R sedan that would permit hackers to take management of the vehicle. Kamkar posted a YouTube video revealing what he called “OwnStar”, a device that intercepts GM’s OnStar Remote Link mobile app. He claimed OwnStar can locate, unlock and even remotely start cars that come equipped with the OnStar system.
Cars are still mostly dumb on the inside – yet companies are rushing to slap Internet connectivity on them anyway. A study from Kelley Blue Book released on August 3 found that 71 percent of respondents were aware of the Jeep Cherokee hack and 41 percent said that they believe the recent hacking incidents will stick in their minds when shopping for their next vehicle. FCA has also recalled the 1.4 million cars and trucks in the U.S. that have the vulnerability, to ensure that it is patched.
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The two San Francisco based hackers notified Tesla about the security issues via an email.
