One of the most deeply worrying things about living in the whizbang future is that because everything has a damn computer in it, basically everything can theoretically be hacked by ne’er-do-wells. Got a pacemaker? Bam! You’re dead. Got an electric car? Bam! Your car just did 100 flips on a freeway.
Maybe not that extreme. But it’s a real risk. A team of researchers and hackers in China have proven that risk is very, very real: they were able to take remote control of a Tesla Model S from a distance of 19 kilometres away, giving them control of basically everything that is electronic in the vehicle.
A lot is electronic in a Tesla. The team were able to manipulate door locks, dashboard computer screen, seats, wing mirrors, windscreen wipers and sunroof. And the brakes. Oh yeah, the brakes.
Watch the vidya:
The team told Tesla, who delivered and over-the-air update which rectified the problem. They issued a statement about the vulnerability:
The issue demonstrated is only triggered when the web browser is used, and also required the car to be physically near to and connected to a malicious Wi-Fi hotspot. Our realistic estimate is that the risk to our customers was very low, but this did not stop us from responding quickly.
Tesla has a team working on cybersecurity issues, and they also offer a ‘bounty’ for people who identify issues and bring it to their attention. It’s a huge concern though – hackers iterate very quickly, and if we’re all gonna be putzing around in electric cars, then this might become, y’know, a thing.
Source: The Guardian.
Photo: The Matrix Reloaded.
