Security researchers have found vulnerabilities in one of Tesla’s cars and demonstrated that they can be exploited remotely to do things like open the car’s doors and force it to break while in motion. Cesare Garlati, Chief Security Strategist at the prpl Foundation commented below.
Cesare Garlati, Chief Security Strategist at the prpl Foundation:
“The danger with connected cars is the “connected” aspect. Today’s IoT devices are housing numerous vulnerabilities, waiting for hackers to exploit them and connected cars are not immune, despite the possibility for a catastrophic outcome. Just as the researchers uncovered here – and with the 2014 Jeep Hack – should a hacker gain access and find their way into more critical functions, such as steering controls or braking mechanisms, then the consequences could be life threatening. Security by separation is one of the fundamental rules of IT security, yet this type of lateral movement within the hardware is possible on most IoT systems—not just connected cars. Because of this, it opens up infinite vulnerabilities to exploit. To avoid this from happening vendors, regulators and manufacturers must carefully consider security by protecting the critical controls through hardware level security, such as virtualisation, and establishing a root of trust within the embedded system itself to prevent hackers from reflashing the software elements.”
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