Smartphone App Flaw Leaves Tesla Vehicles Vulnerable To Theft

Following the news that a smartphone app flaw has left Tesla Vehicles vulnerable to being tracked, located, unlocked and stolen, John Smith, Principal Solutions Architect at Veracode commented below.

John Smith, Principal Solutions Architect at Veracode:

“With Tesla just recently remediating a vulnerability which allowed the car to be exploited remotely, this new security flaw leaves the car vulnerable to theft and highlights the plethora of challenges that car manufacturers now face as they introduce internet-connected services into the car. Vulnerable software is one of the most significant challenges faced by the automotive industry, with findings from a recent IDC report indicating that there could be a lag of up to three years before car security systems are protected from hackers.

There are over 200 million lines of code in today’s connected car, not to mention smartphone apps linked to the car. So it is essential that car manufacturers put security at the heart of the development strategy, rather than as an afterthought, to ensure that security flaws don’t persist and put connected car owners at risk of theft, data theft, and – in the worst instance – physical harm.”