Researchers Use Text To Hack Corvette



Researchers at the University of California at San Diego have figured out how to control certain features on a car via text.



The group did so by sending a text to a cellular-capable device connected to a 2013 Corvette's OBD-II port. These ports normally house a dongle used by insurance companies to track vehicle activity or driving efficiency and then report the findings back to the parent company.

With the Corvette, the group hacked into a device made by Mobile Devices and were able input both innocuous and dangerous commands, in this scenario turning on the wipers and cutting the brakes. Mobile Devices has already patched the vulnerability and said the phone numbers associated with its devices are never public so they would have to be found using a system capable of "guessing" the correct number, according to Fast Company.

Source: Doug Olenick, editor, SC Magazine (August 11, 2015)

Submitted by Phil Ellison
10/4/15