Researchers were able to take control of a Tesla car using a drone

Two researchers were able to partial control of A. Tesla The Model X remotely using a drone, reports club. Ralf-Philipp Weinmann and Benedikt Schmotzle participated in the Pwn20wn Hacking Competition 2020 aimed at eliminating flaws in the software included by Tesla. The two security experts provided evidence of their attack, codenamed TBONE, in a video posted on the site Youtube. In just three minutes they were able to unlock the car doors.

The researchers used two vulnerabilities detected in ConnMan, the open source software that powers the Tesla computer system. As an internet connection manager, he is a dream entry point for HackerWishing to enter the environment
computer science. Using a drone with a Wi-Fi modem, they were able to hack the vehicle.

The drone was positioned 100 meters away

The TBONE attack allowed opening doors, playing a piece of music, or even controlling the ventilation. Even worse, it is possible to affect the steering and acceleration settings without starting Sentences. For these attacks, the drone could be located at an altitude of 100 meters and thus completely undetectable with the naked eye.

All Tesla vehicles (S, 3, X, and Y) were subjected to this attack. Although the 2020 Pwn20wn was canceled, Tesla, who has the Bug Bounty software, was of course warned of a vulnerability spotted in his car. In October 2020, he released a security patch that prevents the possibility of TBONE attack. The car manufacturer had taken the opportunity to abandon the ConnMan software. However, this software will be used by other manufacturers the cars. Consequently, the risk of an attack will still remain for some of the models that are still in circulation, he points out club.