Tesla vehicles might get hacked easier than thought
According to a corporate security consultant, the Tesla Model S can be found and unlocked remotely by using a simple six-character password and rather basic hacking techniques.
Nitesh Dhanjani – who is both a hacking expert and a Tesla owner – told the Black Hat Asia conference in Singapore recently that he found several flaws in the Model S sedan security system, during his poking through the vehicle’s software.
According to Reuteres Dhanjani said that the cars cannot be protected by the simple means that protect our computers and which can be easily circumvented by a decent hacker.
He said that a six-character password can allow a criminal to locate and then open a Tesla Model S, which in turn would allow them to steal any of the car’s contents however, the key fob would be requried to drive the vehicle.
All Tesla owners have to submit a six-character password at the time they purchase the vehicles. This password is then used to unlock a smartphone app which provides access to the owner’s online account, through which they can then locate and unlock their car remotely.
Nitesh also said that there is no limit on the number of incorrect login attempts on the app, which in turn means that criminals can try an retry passwords till they get it right.
Dhanjani passed on the result of his investigation to the California-based company and in response, Tesla spokesperson Patrick Jones told Reuters that the car maker takes security threats very seriously and will be reviewing research submitted by experts.
He commented that Tesla protect its products and systems against vulnerabilities thanks to a dedicated team of top-notch information security professionals, and it continues to work with the community of security researchers while also actively encouraging them to communicate their results with them.
