Ever since the news of the Jeep SUV shown to be remotely hacked, giving the “controllers” the ability to work the in-car entertainment system and even apply brakes wirelessly, auto companies have been sitting up and taking notice.
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Security experts from Chinese security firm Tencent Keen Security Lab have hacked a Tesla Model S from afar, taking control over a variety of vehicle functions, including its ability to break.
‘The issue demonstrated is only triggered when the web browser is used, and also required the auto to be physically near to and connected to a malicious wifi hotspot.
The Shanghai, China-based hacking firm has withheld details of the world-first zero day attacks and privately disclosed the flaws to Tesla.
In a video demonstration, a researcher uses the car’s mapping search function to find the nearest charging point.
In the video, the hackers show how they’re able to control several features of the auto from a laptop, apparently without physically tampering with the vehicle.
With the auto in motion, the researchers were able to force the vehicle to brake, open its trunk, adjust side-view mirrors, and activate the windshield wipers. The issue demonstrated is only triggered when the web browser is used, and also required the vehicle to be physically near to and connected to a malicious wifi hotspot. From here, the researchers is able to take over both the instrument cluster screens as well as the car’s infotainment screen.
A Tesla spokesperson said the company has already deployed a software update, and the team would be rewarded under its bug bounty program. Our realistic estimate is that the risk to our customers was very low, but this did not stop us from responding quickly.
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But this bit of information doesn’t shed any more light on what caused the incident since it can support both versions: on the one hand, him using the smartphone would suggest he wasn’t paying too much attention to the road because the auto was on Autopilot, but on the other, it could also explain why he didn’t notice the barricade in due time if he was the one controlling the vehicle.
