of The world of evolving technology is dynamic. Some people create solutions, others try to exploit vulnerabilities in the solutions they create to create other problems.
Auto thieves seem desperate to stay ahead of technological advances created to defeat them. Auto robbers have gone from smashing a car window to gain access or wiring a vehicle to steal it to using computer code to hack into the vehicle.
Car hacking is done by accessing the car’s computer systems through software such as CAN bus or Bluetooth pairing, or through physical access to connectors and ports.
But as the hacking spread, experts recommended car trackers to track down and recover stolen cars.
But the bad guys are trying to outmaneuver the ever-advancing technology. Hackers have devised methods of carjacking, jamming, cloning key fobs, and breaking immobilizers and scanners to steal cars using modern technology.
Researchers predict that in the near future, drivers may have to worry about the possibility of their cars being remotely hijacked by hackers and driven to a specific location or their cars stolen. I’m here.
The car owner breathed a sigh of relief when the tracker was recommended. However, this won’t last long as hackers have also identified vulnerabilities in trackers.
A recent report by Forbes found a vulnerability in a modern car tracking system. This allows hackers to access the car owner’s cell phone and steal data.
What is puzzling is the fact that the technology that allows hackers to do this is exactly what security agencies use to check for car theft through hacking.
These are the same technologies security agencies routinely exploit in the U.S., according to the report, with immigration and police using the technology to extract massive amounts of data, from passwords to locations, from 10,000 different car models. We invest more in our tools.
According to cybersecurity expert Sam Curry, the latest hack was reportedly due to a shared telematics system in cars (created by SiriusXM) that records speed, brake and door usage data. I’m here.
Curley said the only data needed to hack a car is the vehicle’s identification number, known as the VIN, which can be easily obtained from the windshield of many car models.
Using what the experts called a computer program, he was able to obtain the VIN number and send it to the SiriusXM servers as a kind of fake ID, tricking the program into believing he was the owner. I was.
The program then asks SiriusXM to retrieve personal data stored in the car, turn on the ignition, or perform other functions.
Recently, the Nigerian Communications Commission warned Nigerians to beware of the possibility of car hacking.
The statement read: In this attack, an attacker intercepts the RF signals normally sent to the car from a remote key fob, manipulates these signals, and later retransmits them to unlock the car at will.
“This latest type of cyberattack can even manipulate and resend captured commands to achieve completely different results.” Attackers are said to have been used to unlock and wirelessly start the engines of some Honda and Acura models by capturing radio frequency signals sent from the key fob to the vehicle. and consists of threat actors that retransmit these signals to control the vehicle’s remote keyless entry system.”
The NCC pointed out that the fact that car remote controls are classified as short-range devices allows them to use radio frequencies to lock and unlock the car.
It says it’s important to inform the public about this new trend that hackers are exploiting to unlock and start compromised cars.
Cybersecurity expert Toyyib Alarape told Sunday PUNCH about the development.
He said, “When the tracker was invented, it was about solving a problem. , there will always be bugs in solutions that can be easily exploited by good programmers.
“We are glad that this has not yet happened in Nigeria, where trackers are currently being hacked, but the sad reality is that it will happen soon and is more risky than a normal hack. This time, user data will be stolen, as the study said, and we have to start working on solutions to combat this.”
Alarape explained that it’s important for companies to start working on possible solutions to keep user data, such as VINs, that can be misused.
“Vulnerabilities have made it possible to target VINs. Cybersecurity personnel should not be left alone to fight this. I have to.
“If we can address bugs that target VINs and trackers by building complex solutions, we have an opportunity. We think of hundreds of ways to do this, so car owners should make sure they use other means to protect their vehicles.”
Another cybersecurity expert, Timothy Averre, said the new development should make car owners more vigilant.
He explained that the main weakness in vehicle security is the connection to the Internet, especially through the vehicle owner’s mobile phone. He said the risk increases when car owners use unsecured WiFi.
he said: “Vehicle owners should not use the vehicle’s web browser and should avoid downloading third-party software for vehicle diagnostics, especially if such software uses an Internet connection. If you need to, yes, keep your infotainment system software updated by downloading it from the manufacturer’s website to a USB and connecting it to your vehicle for the update. Don’t save, we highly recommend installing a standalone GPS tracker in your vehicle.
“Above all, connecting your smartphone to your vehicle’s infotainment system via Wi-Fi is the surest way your vehicle can be hacked. Try to limit it or avoid it. and use a phone with no details to connect to the vehicle’s infotainment system.Use multiple authentication tools for vehicle use only.”
He added that without Internet and Wi-Fi connectivity, hacking is impossible.
