Disclaimer: We may earn a commission if you make any purchase by clicking our links. Please see our detailed guide here.

Follow us on:

Google News
Whatsapp

Security Researcher Took Remote Control of 25 Teslas in 13 Countries

IANS
IANS
Meet the voice behind Indo-Asian News Service (IANS), a storyteller navigating the currents of global events with precision and depth. Crafting narratives that bridge cultures, IANS brings you the pulse of the world in every word

Join the Opinion Leaders Network

Join the Techgenyz Opinion Leaders Network today and become part of a vibrant community of change-makers. Together, we can create a brighter future by shaping opinions, driving conversations, and transforming ideas into reality.

In what could put Tesla drivers at high-security risk, a security researcher took remote control of at least 25 Tesla cars in 13 countries without the owners’ knowledge.

He could disable Sentry Mode, open the doors/windows and even start Keyless Driving. This was “pretty dangerous, if someone is able to remotely blast music at full volume or open the windows/doors while you are on the highway”.

The Germany-based security researcher, David Colombo, said in a tweet thread that he was able to remotely access dozens of Teslas around the world because of security bugs found in an open-source logging software called ‘TeslaMate’.

TeslaMate is a free-to-download logging software used by car owners to connect to their vehicles and access their cars’ data.

This tool exposed Tesla cars directly to the Internet.

“This is not a vulnerability in Tesla’s infrastructure. It’s the owners’ faults,” Colombo said.

“Nevertheless I now can remotely run commands on 25+ Teslas in 13 countries without the owners’ knowledge,” he added.

“I could also query the exact location, see if a driver is present and so on. The list is pretty long,” he mentioned.

“Even flashing the lights non-stop can potentially have some (dangerous) impact on other drivers,” he continued.

Tesla’s security team later told the security researcher they were investigating the matter.

The bug has now been fixed but this raises grave questions about what if such tools are hacked by state-sponsored cybercriminals.

It is even possible to extract the Tesla users’ API key from the exposed dashboard, allowing a hacker to retain access to Teslas without the owners’ knowledge.

Join 10,000+ Fellow Readers

Get Techgenyz’s roundup delivered to your inbox curated with the most important for you that keeps you updated about the future tech, mobile, space, gaming, business and more.

Recomended

Partner With Us

Digital advertising offers a way for your business to reach out and make much-needed connections with your audience in a meaningful way. Advertising on Techgenyz will help you build brand awareness, increase website traffic, generate qualified leads, and grow your business.

Power Your Business

Solutions you need to super charge your business and drive growth

More from this topic