Chrysler vehicles now fully vulnerable to being hacked remotely

[frizzlefry]

Link With Video

As the two hackers remotely toyed with the air-conditioning, radio, and windshield wipers, I mentally congratulated myself on my courage under pressure. That’s when they cut the transmission.

Immediately my accelerator stopped working. As I frantically pressed the pedal and watched the RPMs climb, the Jeep lost half its speed, then slowed to a crawl. This occurred just as I reached a long overpass, with no shoulder to offer an escape. The experiment had ceased to be fun.

At that point, the interstate began to slope upward, so the Jeep lost more momentum and barely crept forward. Cars lined up behind my bumper before passing me, honking. I could see an 18-wheeler approaching in my rearview mirror. I hoped its driver saw me, too, and could tell I was paralyzed on the highway.

[Xtrema]

Internet connected cars are the most retarded idea ever.

[frizzlefry]

Welcome to "the internet of things". Impossible to make it 100% safe.

"The only winning move is not to play" - Wargames

[BerserkerCatSplat]

Performing that kind of "test" on a fucking public highway is beyond idiotic.

[codetrap]

.

[Sugarphreak]

...

[lilmira]

It wasn't me officer, my car got hacked.

[killramos]

How is this news? Like 6 years ago Chevy was selling this kind of intervention as a "feature"

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by Xtrema
Internet connected cars are the most retarded idea ever.

The only part of my car I want connected to the internet is an Android based stereo head unit, that has google maps, and streaming radio.

[codetrap]

.

[phil98z24]

Good. Now we can stop them remotely with our special information stealing devices I've been hearing so much about these days. Watch out speeders - that isn't laser, it's the magical police information gun stopping you without consent!

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by codetrap
Yeah, isn't that pretty much how they go in through the uconnect? It's a internet connected head unit, isn't it?

I should have clarified, I don't want the head unit connected to the rest of the car either. I think it's stupid when they do this.

[frizzlefry]

Originally posted by codetrap
Yeah, isn't that pretty much how they go in through the uconnect? It's a internet connected head unit, isn't it?

Yup. There are other cars that do the same. Except with Chrysler the head unit is connected to actual critical systems via CAN BUS. If there is physical separation between the car's computer system and the cellular head unit all is good. Other cars have internet, no issue. But for some reason Chrysler decided to connect the internet together with the local vehicle system via a BUS designed in 1983. Something that has as much security as a straight pass thru copper cable. The intent was obviously to roll out TSB's remotely and keep track of their lease vehicles treatment. No other explanation. But it was a very, very, stupid idea.

Even if this hack wasn't possible I would not buy a Chrysler due to privacy. It would be like Chrysler forcing you to plug a monitor in your OBD like that thing Flo with Allstate sells.

[Mibz]

Even if this hack wasn't possible I would not buy a Chrysler due to privacy.

You make the most entertaining posts in tech threads, hands down.

[BerserkerCatSplat]

Originally posted by frizzlefry


Yup. There are other cars that do the same. Except with Chrysler the head unit is connected to actual critical systems via CAN BUS. If there is physical separation between the car's computer system and the cellular head unit all is good. Other cars have internet, no issue. But for some reason Chrysler decided to connect the internet together with the local vehicle system via a BUS designed in 1983. Something that has as much security as a straight pass thru copper cable. The intent was obviously to roll out TSB's remotely and keep track of their lease vehicles treatment. No other explanation. But it was a very, very, stupid idea.

You say this like it was Chrysler's brainwave to use CANBUS. Nope, GM's been using it for ages with OnStar - it uses sensor reports to determine if there's been an accident and auto-dial the police in case the driver is unconscious, among other things. Hell, they even use it to remote-start cars via cell and report that info back to the app. Only way to poll the sensors is via the bus and it's gotta link up to the outgoing cellular somehow to activate the call or outgoing data. Lots of cars with internet connections talk to the CANBUS for fuel data, etc. for internal displays, but it's when they start using two-way comms that it makes a breach possible.

And, for the record, the hack described in this article required the "hackers" to have physical access to the vehicle to gather MAC addresses and such. Without that, there's no way to pinpoint the vehicle.

[frizzlefry]

Originally posted by Mibz
You make the most entertaining posts in tech threads, hands down.

I am captain paranoid. I will say the "The Internet of 'things' " is hands down the dumbest trend recently. Smart = vulnerable. Zero day threats are being discovered, without reporting them, and being sold to the highest bidder. I think hacking team's annual subscription cost about 2 million a year. They would sell zero day threats to clients without reporting them to the developers. Then they got hacked and I have been patching zero day exploits every night for a week as they leak out. Watch "zero days" on youtube. 48 minutes, worth it. Documentary about the companies that discover zero days and sell them. While the smart connected masses go through their lives completely unawares.

The next 6 months is going to be hellah entertaining in terms of exposed threats and attacks. Every day it seems 3 new hosted services are getting exposed. The feds are now going after lifelock for fawks sake. The bastion of online identity protection. Turns out they can't protect shit.

I protect the network and laptops for a oil field services company with about 300 guys. ZERO desktop infections in 4 years. And all my users do is work, sleep, jack off to porn and cheat on their wives. And no malware and/or downtime. I see all the shit that gets blocked. I see 4000 botnet probes from China trying to access our sharepoint site. I see the guys in PA trying to run a friendly SIP handshake attack on our trunks in WA.

I do try to be entertaining but, in all seriousness, I'm right. Internet is a scary place and the last thing we need is our toasters, let alone our cars, sticking their dicks in the wind to be "smart" devices. A car doesn't have patch Tuesday. And even patch Tuesday is a horrible maintenance plan.

Now if you will excuse me I need to unplug my toaster and hide in my tinfoil tent

[frizzlefry]

Originally posted by BerserkerCatSplat

And, for the record, the hack described in this article required the "hackers" to have physical access to the vehicle to gather MAC addresses and such. Without that, there's no way to pinpoint the vehicle.

That's not true. If the IP is on the internet a simple scan for the port the uconnect app uses is sufficient. You can process about 800 IP addys a minute on a netbook. Is that targeted, no. Random yes. But scanning IP addresses for a single port is easy. And if you find one then voila. And you have to ask, was this an opps or part of a centralized TSB distribution system that they were working on? If there was any way to deploy TSBs or patches to their cars via this obviously intentional link between internet and car then that system is vulnerable as well. A stupid idea. All around.

And there was a separation with on-star. It was primarily one-way with an exception for remote start. They could never blast beyonce in your ear or turn on your ass warmer.

Originally posted by BerserkerCatSplat
but it's when they start using two-way comms that it makes a breach possible

Yes, that is apparently what has happened.

[frizzlefry]

Originally posted by BerserkerCatSplat
the hack described in this article required the "hackers"

and BTW, the "hackers", or at least one of them, used to work for the NSA. Bald guy. Name is Charlie Miller. Sold a zero day recently for 60k USD. He talks about it at the 27 minute mark of the zero days documentary. So they are not "hackers". They are hackers. Who found a clear and present exploit.

Here is the documentary for anyone who wants to learn about their smart TV or Jeep. *edit* sorry, 38:50 is when he talks about his NSA work, or lack thereof, officially. Anyways, the problem is real. I don't think Chrysler deserves any defense here...this is either a huge blunder or an intentional design that they implemented poorly.

Video

[BerserkerCatSplat]

Originally posted by frizzlefry


That's not true. If the IP is on the internet a simple scan for the port the uconnect app uses is sufficient. You can process about 800 IP addys a minute on a netbook. Is that targeted, no. Random yes. But scanning IP addresses for a single port is easy. And if you find one then voila.

This hack was not done directly via the Internet, this was done over the Sprint cellular network which is the only network that can access the Chrysler CANBUS. Cell networks are generally RFC 1918 and even if you were on the network via phone you'd still only (possibly) be able to search out general IPs, not locate a specific one. I guess you could try to cause random havoc but it seems unlikely that you'd be able to invade systems en masse.

And you have to ask, was this an opps or part of a centralized TSB distribution system that they were working on? If there was any way to deploy TSBs or patches to their cars via this obviously intentional link between internet and car then that system is vulnerable as well. A stupid idea. All around.

I doubt it, since the update currently needs to be over USB or at the dealer and they can't do it OTA. Likely a simple vulnerability.

And there was a separation with on-star. It was primarily one-way with an exception for remote start. They could never blast beyonce in your ear or turn on your ass warmer.

If it was one-way, how could it call emergency services in the event of an accident and provide GPS location? OnStar also has the ability to let police remotely shut down the vehicle, which requires a fair amount of integration.

[Darell_n]

Did something change recently? When I bought my truck last year UConnect was for US customers only and not available here. If this is still true, good for the Americans.