[TomatoSoup]

Recent article from Autoweek: Cyber threats targeting cars, security of your cars could be breached - Autoweek

Even though our cars are not bleeding edge electronically, they are still subject to some possible 'external' control:

- The steering should be pretty safe, since (I don't believe) there's any electronic interface to our hydraulic power steering.
- The brakes, however, could be disabled via the antilock system.
- The throttle could be overridden, accelerating without control.
- Pretty easy to disable the car completely (some have had this happen without hacking! )

Just be careful what you plug in to the OBD port, and/or (if you're really paranoid) disable OnStar.

 

[Seltzinator]

Reminds me of that scene in FF6 where they shot the hacker pucks at the cars to lock their ABS.

 

[TX08manualGXP]

especially now since they have those bluetooth OBDII readers. I wonder if they couldn't go thru the onstar or the serious radio too. something to think about that's for sure. it wouldn't take much for the government to come up with a mandatory disabler that would be installed on all cars and if need be, they could disable it at the press of a button. You know they have chips in tires now and they can be read at toll booths and other stations which they could put up at intersections all over the city.

 

[chickenwire]

Pfffft. You're assuming the NSA doesn't already HAVE such capabilities.

 

[Seltzinator]

especially now since they have those bluetooth OBDII readers. I wonder if they couldn't go thru the onstar or the serious radio too. something to think about that's for sure. it wouldn't take much for the government to come up with a mandatory disabler that would be installed on all cars and if need be, they could disable it at the press of a button. You know they have chips in tires now and they can be read at toll booths and other stations which they could put up at intersections all over the city.

Paranoia confirmed: Big Brother? OnStar Shuts Down Stolen Car During Police Chase | Video | TheBlaze.com

 

[rob the elder]

The "new" OnStar software suite includes the ability to remotely access the maximum speed allowable setting. It does not affect our cars. To the best of my knowledge, the BCM holds inputs from various points in the car and if equipped can communicate this to OnStar. But it does not contain code that will command the throttle setting. The ECM can command throttle but it has no way to receive external commands on our cars.

I don't have enough knowledge know wether or not the existing code on the ECM could be modified - basically on the fly - to allow external control of the throttle position.

Basically, its difficult enough to modify data in the ECM code when tuning, to change the basic information in the software is a lot more difficult. And I believe it would require a reboot to apply the change.

Given access to the computer for a period of hours or days and the right tools, you can do a lot. But its not simple and very unlikely to be real time.

You are safe.

:grouphug:

 

[TomatoSoup]

If you read the article, one supposed method of infection is to install a software worm on a car's ECM/BCM, that infects the dealer tools and is then transferred to other cars, to be activated later. The ECM code is eminently suited for hacking - that's basically what Trifecta (etc) do.

Now whether it's likely or not is a different issue. But it IS possible.

 

[rob the elder]

All true. :yesnod:

My personal experience with ECM tuning is that there is a lot of labor and specialized tools necessary to translate the ECM stored code into a format that can be operated upon by coding tools.

If the vector is through the dealer equipment, then it will not find its way to my cars as they do not connected to the dealer tools. :devil:

 

[jeff465]

Does the On Star unplug under the pillar molding and is the map lamps in the rear view mirror a separate loom? Time to go back to my pre ECM transportation!

 

[TomatoSoup]

OnStar box is bahind the waterfall. Unplugging the mirror or A-pillr looms will have no effect.

Just do as I did and get a Bluetooth OnStar VCIM from a different car (but with the same connectors)... then you'll have Bluetooth but the OnStar bit doesn't work

 

[jeff465]

My coupe has the On Star mounted on the windshield under the mirror. No Bluetooth on my car.

 

[SolNut]

My coupe has the On Star mounted on the windshield under the mirror. No Bluetooth on my car.

That box is just the Antenna. :brentil:

 

[TomatoSoup]

My coupe has the On Star mounted on the windshield under the mirror. No Bluetooth on my car.

Oh right, that's the antenna (#15 in pic). Guess you could remove that and disable the remote access at least. The VCIM (controller, B in pic) is still behind the waterfall, even with coupes.

My car didn't have Bluetooth either, until I swapped my VCIM for one with Bluetooth

 

[jeff465]

Thanks! What does VCIM stand for?

 

[TomatoSoup]

Vehicle Communication Interface Module (The OnStar controller, basically)

 

[TX08manualGXP]

That was one thing I liked about having the 73 vette. No computer to tell me that I was too rich and that my timing was advanced way past factory settings. MY 07 outlander that I recently got rid of would never shut up. and just when i thought I heard it all, a message popped up that said watch out for ice on bridges. it's an auto set for once it sees 36º. I do not miss that thing. I've seen the movie horrible bosses and there's a scene where the onstar guy disabled the vehicle cause one of the bosses was ramming their car from behind.

 

[Mehran333]

Have not read much about the thread, but from watching this on the news over a year ago (yes a year ago... so now we're even deeper into trouble) people have used electromagnetic devices to open a car:
CBC News

 

[mcpigm01]

My toyota land cruiser acts like it could drive the car for me. It tells me if there is ice, windshield wipers are automatic, so on and so on. The car drives itself. It even brakes for me if it thinks I'm going to hit sometching. It's nice but it takes some of the excitement of driving out of it because I love driving.

 

[rob the elder]

The good news for some of us is that our 07 Sol has no OnStar, no bluetooth and unless some has physical access to the car there is no way to remotely hack the thing.

If you want something to think about, consider EMP . . .

Electromagnetic pulse - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

China Building Electromagnetic Pulse Weapons For Use Against U.S. Carriers

EMPACT America - About EMP

Grid EX II & The Impact of An EMP Attack On America | Alternative

Nearly all of the commercial sector is not protected. Most data backups of commercial systems are protected from just about every other threat, but not protected against EMP; and most data backups are located within the area likely to be affected by the EMP attack. Computer systems and the information they contain are especially vulnerable. In the old Dark Angel television series used to say, As Max says in the narration in the first episode of the old Dark Angel television series, “ . . . the electromagnetic pulse turned all the one and zeros into plain old zeros . . .”

An EMP attack would literally send thousands of small and mid-sized businesses in the United States into bankruptcy in less than a millisecond. Other than your printed statements, the banks would have no records of your ledger sheet.

In one of the most dramatic effects, airplanes would fall from the skies. Untold thousands of people would immediately plunged to their death. And their deaths might be considered merciful compared to the fate that the majority of the rest of us would face over the next two years. Most automobiles will not work unless they have all pre-electrical parts. Many people on the various subways, would be hopelessly trapped depending on the time that an electromagnetic pulse would be released. And we can all be sure, that the release of an EMP, through false flag planning, would occur at the optimal time to ensure the maximum loss of life.

 

[Seltzinator]

The good news for some of us is that our 07 Sol has no OnStar, no bluetooth and unless some has physical access to the car there is no way to remotely hack the thing.

If you want something to think about, consider EMP . . .

Electromagnetic pulse - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

China Building Electromagnetic Pulse Weapons For Use Against U.S. Carriers

EMPACT America - About EMP

Grid EX II & The Impact of An EMP Attack On America | Alternative

Nearly all of the commercial sector is not protected. Most data backups of commercial systems are protected from just about every other threat, but not protected against EMP; and most data backups are located within the area likely to be affected by the EMP attack. Computer systems and the information they contain are especially vulnerable. In the old Dark Angel television series used to say, As Max says in the narration in the first episode of the old Dark Angel television series, “ . . . the electromagnetic pulse turned all the one and zeros into plain old zeros . . .”

An EMP attack would literally send thousands of small and mid-sized businesses in the United States into bankruptcy in less than a millisecond. Other than your printed statements, the banks would have no records of your ledger sheet.

In one of the most dramatic effects, airplanes would fall from the skies. Untold thousands of people would immediately plunged to their death. And their deaths might be considered merciful compared to the fate that the majority of the rest of us would face over the next two years. Most automobiles will not work unless they have all pre-electrical parts. Many people on the various subways, would be hopelessly trapped depending on the time that an electromagnetic pulse would be released. And we can all be sure, that the release of an EMP, through false flag planning, would occur at the optimal time to ensure the maximum loss of life.

All the nukes in the world detonating simultaneously couldn't generate an EMP even a fraction of the size you're talking about. And if that happened, we'd have bigger problems than data erasure.