Computer security researchers Mathew Solnik and Don Bailey from iSec Partners have discovered a way to unlock your car doors and start your car remotely using SMS sent from a laptop.
The pair intercepted the wireless messages that flow between a car and a software-based remote control system like that from OnStar.
It took them about two hours to crack the protocol behind this communication and duplicate it with a laptop. If that isn’t unsettling enough, they’ve been able to use this attack against two different car systems, thus far.
The pair will present this hack which they call “war texting” at the Black Hat conference later this week. Being white hat hackers, they won’t release all the technical details until this exploit has been patched. [Network World; Shutterstock/Tito Wong]
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