Cyber attackers covet credentials — with user credentials the hacker becomes the user.
What happens when your car is a computer? The Tesla S is a mobile computer.
Owners are provided with an app that lets them locate their car and open it. Nitesh Dhanjani, a corporate security consultant, recently discovered that the tried and true methods of hacking which steal credentials for computers (think — phishing) work to steal credentials for cars. He reported his findings at a recent Black Hat conference in Singapore:
If a password is stolen or cracked, someone could locate and gain access to the car and steal its contents, but not drive it.
Why can’t they steal your car after they find it and unlock it? Here, Tesla is one step ahead of the bad guys — a key fob which only operates its assigned car must be present to drive the car.
It’s not just your car. Read about 19 hacks that will keep you night.