Car Hacking — How Vehicles Get Compromised

Car Hacking — Vehicles Are Hackable

Modern cars have 100+ million lines of code and 100+ electronic control units (ECUs). They're essentially computers on wheels.

Key Fob Relay Attack

Attackers amplify your key fob signal from inside your house to your car parked outside:

1. Attacker A stands near your house with relay device
2. Attacker B stands near your car with second relay
3. Your key fob signal is amplified to the car
4. Car thinks key is nearby → unlocks and starts
5. Thieves drive away in under 60 seconds

CAN Bus Exploitation

# CAN bus connects all car systems
# With physical access to OBD port:
candump can0                # Read all CAN messages
cansend can0 123#DEADBEEF   # Send arbitrary CAN messages
# Control: doors, windows, lights, steering, brakes

Tesla Hacking

• 🔴 Researchers remotely controlled Tesla brakes via WiFi
• 🔴 Bluetooth Low Energy relay attack opens and starts Tesla
• 🔴 API token theft allows tracking and controlling the car

Famous Car Hacks

• 🚗 Jeep Cherokee (2015): Remotely controlled via internet — steering and brakes
• 🚗 BMW ConnectedDrive: 2.2M cars vulnerable to unlock attack
• 🚗 Volkswagen: Key fob encryption cracked for 100M VW cars

Protection

• 🔒 Keep key fob in Faraday bag when at home
• 🔒 Keep car software updated
• 🔒 Use steering wheel lock as physical backup
• 🔒 Disable unused connectivity features

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