Researchers found a flaw in a Kia web portal that let them track millions of cars, unlock doors, and start engines at will—the latest in a plague of web bugs that’s affected a dozen carmakers.
Probably with every IoT device. Security is always an afterthought.
Oddly enough, the cars will be more secure used since all of those online features will be defunct and abandoned for newer, more “advanced” shitware in ten years.
Continuing the tradition that buying used is always a good idea. Thank you, auto industry.
Mmmm, all those expired domains with known vulnerable api clients still calling them…
Imagine a botnet. Now, imagine a botnet on wheels!
If the data isn’t being paid for anymore, they can’t connect to anything at all. Is T-Mobile or Verizon or whoever expected to foot the bill ten years down for no reason? There may be some definitions of connecting I’m missing, but I reasoned a data connection over some sort of cellular network.
But then, if it’s some hidden proprietary magic on some unused bands, who knows?
I think it does use cellular. But theoretically, it could use a mesh network of all applicable cars that hops back to some entrance nodes into the manufacturer’s network or cheap exit nodes to the broader internet.
Edit, autocorrect
I imagine they’re still searching for the network despite not being able to reach anything, so maybe a local hack would be possible near the vehicle, but remotely? Idk.
My personal strategy to avoid this situation is to just not buy a car with those “features”. If I can’t know before I buy it, then I won’t bother to care to know. Keep your secrets, I’ll keep my $.
At some level, I’d put the blame of some of this on the consumer.
Something being a scam on some level should be the inherent suspicion of basically everything you intend to purchase. The chances a product is straightforward and trustworthy seem to be far less likely these days than the opposite.
If they’re still connected (exitnode mesh or otherwise) and the target domain is no longer maintained by auto manufacturer, then someone else can grab the domain, register it, and the cars will try to connect. Maybe I misunderstood your meaning, but saying a mesh is slow or inaccessible is inaccurate. The whole internet is one giant mesh, and it works fine.
If the cost of implementing proper security is greater than the cost of the fallout from a serious vulnerability, I think we know how most companies will behave. Just take a look at Crowdstrike’s share price, it’s recovering nicely.
Maybe don’t award your security to the lowest bidder…
Better yet, don’t connect cars to the internet. Why does everyone care so much about a shitty tablet in the middle of the dash? I am so much happier to not have it.
The cellular variant they’re talking about and the mesh variant don’t provide you internet access, they provides them access to your car and driving data, and you can’t control that. It doesn’t really give you any benefits.
Edit: and, also, cars shouldn’t be internet connected. Nothing will change my mind on that.
