The Latest Car Security Vulnerability: Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems
Via Slashdot comes the latest word in your vehicle’s vulnerability to hackers: Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems. According to Goodgearguide.com, researchers from Rutgers and the University of South Carolina have found that wireless communications between tire-mounted sensors and and on-board computers can be intercepted by hackers, resulting in the ability to track your movements. According to researchers,
If the sensor IDs were captured at roadside tracking points and stored in databases, third parties could infer or prove that the driver has visited potentially sensitive locations such as medical clinics, political meetings, or nightclubs… Such messages could also be forged. An attacker could flood the control unit with low pressure readings that would repeatedly set off the warning light, causing the driver to lose confidence in the sensor readings, the researchers contend. An attacker could also send nonsensical messages to the control unit, confusing or possibly even breaking the unit.
Researchers note that such attacks would be expensive and complicated to pull off, but that even a simple encryption algorithm would shut this latest window of opportunity for hacker attacks. Says Wenyuan Xu of the University of South Carolina
If no one mentions [such flaws], then they won’t bother with security… The consumer may be willing to pay few dollars to make their autos secure
More by Edward Niedermeyer
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Whats next? Do I need antivirus software for my pedometer that downloads info to my computer?
I once solved a check engine light problem with a piece of electrician's tape. The TPMS is a real nuisance. Did you know that low pressure in your spare* will set them off. Or at least it will on a 2007 RAV4.
Does TPMS go off from overpressure too ?
Maybe the tire companies will hack into the TPMS systems to make them always indicate "OK". Why hack just for fun, when you can do it for money? --end conspiracy theory--