So we all know texting and driving don’t mix, but it turns out texting and parking may be a bad idea too if you’re a Subaru Outback owner. If it’s possible for hackers to hack twitter accounts, cell phones and and even confidential political cables, then you can bet that it was only a matter of time before hackers were able to break into cars through the touch of a button.
It turns out there is an organization called The Black Hat, which focuses on technical security and hosts meetings all over the world. They’re aim is to show industry execs the latest ways hackers are able to infultrate pretty much anything. At a recent event in the States, some people from iSec Partners showed just how easy it is to unlock and start a Subaru Outback if you are technically advantaged enough. And it can all be done through an Android smartphone. Apparently all a hacker needs to do is set up their own GSM network, grab the passwords via text message and voila – they pretty much have complete control of the vehicle without hotwiring, smashing windows or security alarms going off. They could likely do this in a busy mall parking lot and no one would be the wiser.
It should be noted that this is not a flaw on Subaru’s part, apparently iSec is able to hack multiple devices that use similar networks. So, what can you do about it if you’re a Subaru Outback owner? Well, not much of anything. As mentioned The Black Hat holds these seminars so companies can increase their security networks. So until those networks get upgraded, unfortunately all you can rely on is crossed fingers at the moment.
[TG Daily]
