« "What the fuck are you doing to combat global warming!?..." | Main | Cargo Karma »

June 22, 2013

The scariest piece on cars you'll ever read

car_in_flames_by_mtabs.jpg

Abstract — Modern automobiles are no longer mere mechanical devices; they are pervasively monitored and controlled by dozens of digital computers coordinated via internal vehicular networks.
While this transformation has driven major advancements in efficiency and safety, it has also introduced a range of new potential risks. In this paper we experimentally evaluate these issues on a modern automobile and demonstrate the fragility of the underlying system structure. We demonstrate that an attacker who is able to infiltrate virtually any Electronic Control Unit (ECU) can leverage this ability to completely circumvent a broad array of safety-critical systems. Over a range of experiments, both in the lab and in road tests, we demonstrate the ability to adversarially control a wide range of automotive functions and completely ignore driver input— including disabling the brakes, selectively braking individual wheels on demand, stopping the engine, and so on. We find that it is possible to bypass rudimentary network security protections within the car, such as maliciously bridging between our car’s two internal subnets. We also present composite attacks that leverage individual weaknesses, including an attack that embeds malicious code in a car’s telematics unit and that will completely erase any evidence of its presence after a crash. Looking forward, we discuss the complex challenges in addressing these vulnerabilities while considering the existing automotive ecosystem. [ Full document HERE ] HT: Bill Jones

Posted by gerardvanderleun at June 22, 2013 3:10 PM. This is an entry on the sideblog of American Digest: Check it out.

Your Say

I think so, too. Something about his death doesn't quite smell right.

Posted by: ahem at June 22, 2013 5:02 PM

Post a comment




Remember Me?

(you may use HTML tags for style)