Canada: We're Going To Investigate Volkswagen and Also Hack Some Pickups

The Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change in Ontario, Canada, has launched an official investigation into Volkswagen Canada and Audi Canada regarding their roles in the ongoing diesel emissions scandal that affects some 35,000 vehicles in the province, the ministry announced Wednesday.

The investigation is related to possible violations under Ontario’s Environmental Protection Act that prohibits the sale of vehicles that do not meet emissions standards.

(But, why is there a picture of a Chevrolet Silverado painted in army green at the top? Hold on. We’ll get there.)

According to the statement: “Ontario’s Environmental Protection Act prohibits the sale of vehicles that do not meet emissions standards” and “when Volkswagen Canada and Audi Canada have identified an Ontario-specific solution to the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, they will be expected to take action to ensure impacted vehicles are in compliance while minimizing any inconvenience and costs to owners.”

In other news from Canada, the Canadian Armed Forces — which comprises all branches of the military — is keen on hiring someone, or a group of someones, to expose vulnerabilities in computerized vehicle systems by, well, exploiting them.

According to the CBC, a tender notice was posted on the federal government’s looking for a person or company savvy enough to extend the functionality of software already developed by the government to find security holes in ECU programs.

Of particular interest is the “2015 pickup truck” mentioned in the tender, likely one of the several Chevrolet Silverado-based, AM General-built Light Service Support Vehicles — or Milverados — used by the Canadian military.

The tender specifies the exploit software must be capable of carrying out attacks using ISO 14229,