A British security company has successfully hacked into a Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-In Hybrid, reviving the debate over car vulnerability in an age where automobiles progressively are reliant on their computers.
Pen Test Partners acquired a 2017 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV with the express purpose of seeing whether the SUV’s special mobile app set-up shall also provide a simple way into its on-board computer system. The organisation announced on Tuesday (NZ time) it had been able to breach the automobile’s alarm system and turn it off.
“Once unlocked, there is potential for many attacks,” read a report on the Pen Test Partners site. “The on-board diagnostics port is accessible once the door is unlocked.”
Mitsubishi is encouraging consumers who own this Outlander to temporarily disable the car’s wi-fi and decouple the app from the automobile. The automaker is working on new firmware that will be pressed to the app.
As in-car tech ends up being progressively sophisticated – with its ultimate version being the self-driving vehicle – some systems have shown to be less than protected.
Among vehicles hacked by experts in order to reveal their weak points are Chrysler’s 2014 Jeep Cherokee, the Tesla Model S and also Nissan Leaf. The Jeep’s hack by two security experts resulted in 1.4 million vehicles being recalled for a software application upgrade in 2014.
In the US, the problem has actually gotten the interest of both the FBI and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which provided warnings in March that automakers had to keep a close watch on the safety of their in-car systems.
