Remote Controlled Jeep -- Spooky
Submitted: Wednesday, Jul 22, 2015 at 14:30
ThreadID:
119575
Views:
2372
Replies:
6
FollowUps:
5
This Thread has been Archived
Allan B (Member, SunCoast)
Take a look at
this report as an exercise in controlling an unmodified vehicle remotely by hacking into its onboard computers.
There have been reports of Jeeps (and others) that could not be started but here is an example of one that cannot be stopped by the driver.
This controlled exercise shows what can be done by intent but perhaps the greater concern is what could happen by vehicle computer malfunction.
Reply By: Bigfish - Thursday, Jul 23, 2015 at 08:51
Thursday, Jul 23, 2015 at 08:51
No big surprise really. I see that driverless cars are to be tested in
Adelaide in the near future. Lot of older, less informed people may scoff at these claims. Technology is all around us and there is no escaping. Cash, postage stamps, letters and banking will all disappear soon. We can pick out a terrorist in a rocky hilltop and blow him up with the aid of a drone that can cruise around in the air for over 24 hours, completely undetected.
Welcome to the brave new world....
AnswerID:
557303
Follow Up By: vk1dx - Thursday, Jul 23, 2015 at 09:19
Thursday, Jul 23, 2015 at 09:19
I agree. No big surprise. All this remote control stuff has been around for decades. Nothing in electronics and communications has surprised me. All it needed was miniturisation, money and a standard interface for this to happen. I even ran my model train with the CB once in about 1976 if my memory served my right.
The "Borg" society at it again.
Phil
FollowupID:
843604
Reply By: Bob Y. - Qld - Thursday, Jul 23, 2015 at 11:01
Thursday, Jul 23, 2015 at 11:01
Allan,
One wonders why he didn't apply the handbrake instead of running into the ditch. Probably a lack of drama if that were to happen? :-)
Some of this "stuff" has been in the transport industry for some years. Remote controlled fridge 'vans, engines in trucks being de-rated as the truck travelled into more level terrain, on-board cameras and GPS tracking.
Mob I work for casually has a GPS program, as do many other similar firms. Tells them how fast truck is going, where it is and if stationary, whether the engine is idling or stopped. Along with the downloadable data available off the ECU, they know just about everything!
Bob
AnswerID:
557307
Follow Up By: Allan B (Member, SunCoast) - Thursday, Jul 23, 2015 at 13:19
Thursday, Jul 23, 2015 at 13:19
Ahh Bob, Information data transmission as you describe is one thing but remote control by an independent (and possibly malevolent) party is quite another.
Working in instrumentation in the petrochemical industry I am aware of the progress to wireless control from the old cabling. It is not beyond a leap of imagination to perceive that a terrorist geek could gain control of say, a refinery computer and cause untold havoc. There always seems to be someone a step "smarter" than the IT experts who write the programs. This is what keeps the computer security industry in business, albeit reactively.
Incidentally, the driver had been instructed to "not panic" and to allow the remote actions.
FollowupID:
843615
Reply By: Mick O - Thursday, Jul 23, 2015 at 14:45
Thursday, Jul 23, 2015 at 14:45
I've had my VDJ79 series ute hacked. I lost all control over the vehicle and direction driven and choice of route. It affected how I drove, how I accelerated, braked and even parked. I managed to isolate the hacker to the passengers
seat and kicked her out. Been running smoothly ever since.
All jokes aside, I think it's important to realise that this could not happen "remotely" in Australia at this stage because Ford do not provide internet connectivity via their radio here.
Any hacker would need to gain access to the vehicle itself and wire into the computer and then connect some form of wireless device to control the vehicle (unless they hide in the boot and cause chaos with a computer from there ;-)
I wonder what happens with the higher end European vehicles such as BMW and Mercedes who currently have internet connection integrated into their vehicle systems. I bet the Germans have some robust security protocols developed to prevent this type of hack.
Cheers Mick
AnswerID:
557314
Follow Up By: Mick O - Thursday, Jul 23, 2015 at 15:01
Thursday, Jul 23, 2015 at 15:01
I am led to believe that the type of hacking I suffered can be prevented on extended outback trips by upgrading the passenger’s
seat program from wife 2.0 to Best Mate 2.1.
Be warned that this may lead to some integration issues on return causing the wife 2.0 program to freeze. – I have found that running Flowers 2.4 in conjunction with Dinner 5.0 and wine 3.1 can debug the wife 2.0 program in these circumstances.
Cheers Mick
FollowupID:
843617
Follow Up By: Michael H9 - Thursday, Jul 23, 2015 at 19:34
Thursday, Jul 23, 2015 at 19:34
My wife already runs Whine 4.0.
FollowupID:
843633