Tesla owners should enable PIN-to-drive protection to thwart relay attacks.

In a video shared with WIRED, researchers at the Beijing-based automotive cybersecurity firm GoGoByte demonstrated that they could carry out a relay attack against the latest Tesla Model 3 despite its upgrade to an ultra-wideband keyless entry system, instantly unlocking it with less than a hundred dollars worth of radio equipment. Since the Tesla 3’s keyless entry system also controls the car’s immobilizer feature designed to prevent its theft, that means a radio hacker could start the car and drive it away in seconds—unless the driver has enabled Tesla’s optional, off-by-default PIN-to-drive feature that requires the owner to enter a four-digit code before starting the car.

    • bstix@feddit.dk
      10·
      6 months ago

      A lot of car thefts are just kids taking them for a thrill ride, trashing and leaving it.

      Nobody wants to steal a tractor, but yet they do get stolen just as often as any other vehicle, because they’re easy to unlock and start.

      The GTA games got that part right.

      • mynachmadarch@kbin.social
        1·
        6 months ago

        I dunno. Have you seen the resale prices on some of those tractors, even when used? I sure want to steal one and hawk it. (I would never actually, just, I get the temptation)

        • bstix@feddit.dk
          2·
          6 months ago

          Even tractors are tracked by the manufacturer these days.

          The high prices for used tractors are only for the old ones in specific nostalgic colours, like Grey Ferguson. Nobody wants a blue Ferguson?

      • InternetUser2012
        1·
        6 months ago

        Parts alone, there is no aftermarket for them, but there are people that want to fix their own stuff.

    • thanks_shakey_snake@lemmy.ca
      3·
      6 months ago

      Car thieves: “You know, I just don’t feel right supporting a company like Tesla by stealing from people who purchased their products.”

  • InFerNo@lemmy.ml
    2·
    6 months ago

    Was just pondering over this.

    Would it suffice to implement a handshake between fob and car, but also prevent the handshake from establishing if the car or fob receives its own signal, indicating its signal being replicated? Since it’s a radio signal this would at least make it somewhat harder, but still not impossible, to relay a signal.