The German concern BMW has released a software patch for updates over the air, correcting the vulnerability found in their cars. This vulnerability gave attackers the opportunity to open the doors of a car using only one smartphone. BMW, Rolls-Royce and Mini connected to the Connected Drive service were at risk. The service allows drivers to control some functions of their car, for example, to open the door or turn on the audio system via a smartphone, according to the website of the German motorists organization (ADAC).
ADAC Vice President Thomas Burckhardt said that the vulnerability was discovered last year, but the organization did not want to talk about it publicly until the problem was resolved by BMW experts. The ADAC said they did not find any evidence of using this flaw in real conditions, although the simulation of a computer attack on several cars clearly demonstrated the existing danger.
The potential victims of attackers could be 2.2 million cars produced before December 9, 2014. However, the owners of these vehicles do not have to worry: the problem was corrected automatically without the recall of cars.
ADAC does not disclose the details of the vulnerability, but says that it allowed access to the car in just a few minutes. According to Reuters, the association’s experts created a fake mobile network through which they successfully hacked BMW cars. The video below (in German), kindly provided by ADAC, demonstrates this hacking:
It seems that BMW and Tesla are more concerned about the digital safety of their cars than other manufacturers. Recently, Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced that the Model S P85D electric car will get more aggressive overclocking due to software updates.
Tesla also offers control of some of the functions of its cars via the Internet. Using iOS and Android applications, electric vehicle owners can open doors, control the heating system, battery level, speed, and the position of the car on the map.
The article is based on materials .
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