[HN Gopher] Toyota runs a car-hacking event to boost security (2...
       ___________________________________________________________________
        
       Toyota runs a car-hacking event to boost security (2024)
        
       Author : octagons
       Score  : 129 points
       Date   : 2025-10-04 03:11 UTC (19 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (toyotatimes.jp)
 (TXT) w3m dump (toyotatimes.jp)
        
       | LPisGood wrote:
       | The CAN bus, the network interface vehicle components use to
       | communicate was, at least as of a few years ago, the source of
       | basically infinite vulnerabilities.
       | 
       | Add in over the air updates or worse, updated bluetooth or radio
       | firmware and you find things like stopping a vehicle remotely at
       | highway speeds[1]
       | 
       | [1] https://fractionalciso.com/the-groundbreaking-2015-jeep-
       | hack...
        
         | AlotOfReading wrote:
         | The people behind that stunt were immediately hired by GM.
        
         | burnt-resistor wrote:
         | IIRC, many TPMS systems run as CAN over IP, basically giving
         | unsecured network access to a car if it thinks it's talking to
         | a TPMS. Granted that some/most these sensors typically have to
         | be "paired" with a car using a scantool (sometimes), but IIRC,
         | some are self-pairing creating a vulnerability where the legit
         | sensor could be replaced with a hostile one. Also the
         | possibilities of spoofing, sniffing, and/or packet injection
         | seem real too.
        
           | privatelypublic wrote:
           | I know the receivers are often in a vulnerable position. But,
           | on my 2008 era car- the code I've seen for SDR decoding is a
           | broadcast MAC, pressure and a temp value.
        
           | SV_BubbleTime wrote:
           | >IIRC, many TPMS systems run as CAN over IP,
           | 
           | I've been in this industry for 20-some years not a single
           | system I've ever seen operates like that.
           | 
           | CAN over IP does not exist invehicles. IP over CAN doesn't
           | exist at all. UDS over IP does, but this is automotive
           | Ethernet and an entirely different discussion.
        
       | pipeline_peak wrote:
       | I love when companies openly embrace their security
       | vulnerabilities rather than hide behind them, _cough_ Kia
        
       | monegator wrote:
       | A good starter would have been running the keyfob data on a
       | different CAN line than the one going into the headlights... you
       | know, the one you can reach with your hand from the outside.
       | 
       | Then we could also talk about encryption, but at least making it
       | a tad more difficult to have physical access.
       | 
       | Not that toyota is the only one. If you ever notice a car that
       | has a reinforced grill protecting the front RADAR, or the rear
       | lights... now you know why.
        
       | DecentShoes wrote:
       | That's great, but the writing is still on the wall if Toyota
       | doesn't get serious about electric cars.
       | 
       | With their current trajectory Toyota is headed at 1000mph
       | directly towards being the next Blackberry, Kodak, Nokia or
       | Blockbuster.
       | 
       | I say this as someone who owned a Prius for 10 years and loved
       | it, and have also driven their hydrogen car. The BZ4X is badly
       | named overpriced garbage, not enough and not good enough. The
       | clock is ticking and they have to act _yesterday_ to avert
       | disaster and they 're sitting their twiddling their thumbs.
       | 
       | Currently Tesla is the iPhone to Toyota's Nokia and they're going
       | to have to work very hard very soon to turn that around or their
       | company will die.
        
         | dzhiurgis wrote:
         | Why make electric cars when you can bribe politicians to tax
         | EVs and promote hybrids?
        
           | cenamus wrote:
           | Are you talking about Toyota or every german automaker ;)
        
             | nixass wrote:
             | Or even US government? (by removing incentives)
        
               | bigstrat2003 wrote:
               | Removing incentives is not "taxing EVs", it's leveling
               | the playing field. If EVs can't compete without the
               | competition being tilted in their favor, they aren't up
               | to scratch yet.
        
               | dzhiurgis wrote:
               | If EV costs more you pay more sales tax / gst / vat.
               | 
               | Also most places now tax EV registration with extra fee
               | or per mile so you add fair share towards roads making
               | hybrid TCO lower.
        
           | breve wrote:
           | Hybrids sell better.
           | 
           | Toyota sells more cars than any other automaker. 2023 was a
           | record sales year for Toyota. 2025 is looking like it will be
           | another record year for them:
           | 
           | https://www.autoblog.com/news/nearly-900000-cars-sold-
           | toyota...
        
         | realusername wrote:
         | I'd say the EU manufacturers are in an even worse position than
         | Toyota as their electric lineup isn't great and they have
         | massive reliability problems on both ICE and BEV cars unlike
         | Toyota.
         | 
         | Currently they only survive in the EU thanks to tarrifs on
         | Chinese cars.
         | 
         | And I would say the opposite about Tesla, they experienced the
         | biggest selling drop of all brands combined, if there's one
         | brand going to crash first, I'd bet on Tesla.
        
           | gorgoiler wrote:
           | Can you elaborate on (or link to some resources on) EU
           | manufacturer quality issues? I have a hunch I know what you
           | mean but I'd like to know more.
        
           | Lio wrote:
           | Really? I think Renault are on a roll at the moment.
           | 
           | The Renault 4, Renault 5 and Megan seem really competitive.
           | 
           | The new Nissan Leaf (made in UK) also looks pretty good.
           | 
           | VAG seem to have lost the plot ("let's replace all the
           | controls with a small, janky touch system that leaks personal
           | information to hackers") but their ID.7 isn't total crap.
           | 
           | Comparing Renaults to the Chinese brands I've seen (MG and
           | BYD) the Chinese brands were a bit cheaper but they really
           | felt it with cheap interiors and uncomfortable seats. I'd
           | rather pay a grand more and get a car I like.
        
             | stavros wrote:
             | I have a BYD Seal and it's by far the most luxurious and
             | best quality car I've owned, and my previous car was a
             | Mercedes. I don't know what you've tried, but it doesn't
             | feel cheap at all
        
               | Lio wrote:
               | I only buy mass-market cars. I've looked at MG 4s, 5s and
               | BYD Dolphins. I didn't rate any of them.
               | 
               | I view all cars as depreciating liabilities and so have
               | little interest in buy either Seal or its Mercedes
               | equivalent.
        
             | izacus wrote:
             | ID.7 is the most sold EV model in EU so "not total crap" is
             | an interesting definition. Other ID models are selling well
             | too
        
               | pxndx wrote:
               | What's your source? it's the 5th in this ranking I found:
               | https://autovista24.autovistagroup.com/news/europes-best-
               | sel...
        
           | izacus wrote:
           | What are you on about though? EU EV sales are through the
           | roof and pretty much all brands now have good EV cars.
        
         | irjustin wrote:
         | It's weird right? I get that Nokia honestly couldn't see it
         | coming, it was basically the first in recent history. Too much
         | too fast, RIM included.
         | 
         | But all the bigwigs currently in Toyota are the age to have
         | seen and lived that transition. It's not like they're new to
         | battery tech.
         | 
         | And they say - wow look at that... nah, let's build hydrogen.
        
         | LightBug1 wrote:
         | Currently _EV 's are _ the iPhones to Toyota's Nokia and
         | they're going to have to work very hard very soon to turn that
         | around or their company will die.
         | 
         | Fixed that for you. I give Tesla another 2-5 years before their
         | number is up and they'll limp along and become another also
         | ran.
         | 
         | There's no way they can compete with what's to come and even
         | what's happening now.
         | 
         | I have some friends, who are definitely not HN readers or avid
         | followers of the EV market, and they've already swapped out
         | their Teslas for BYD. It didn't take much for them to make the
         | move. And what's coming is already far beyond what Tesla have
         | on the table.
         | 
         | They had a good ride. And definitely should be credited with
         | being the starting gun on one chapter of automotive revolution.
         | But it's over for them (in the EV space). They know it too ...
         | hence their attempted pivot to ... * insert flavour of the
         | month*
        
         | ssl232 wrote:
         | The iPhone did everything the Nokia 3310 did, better. Electric
         | cars do not (yet) do better some things hybrids do, such as
         | being able to be fuelled with 400+ miles of range in 5 minutes.
         | 
         | I'm nowhere near the point of wanting an electric car to
         | replace my hybrid. The convenience of petrol and the cost of
         | electricity is too high. High electricity costs aren't going to
         | be fixed in my country any time soon so Toyota will continue to
         | have a huge market here.
        
           | stavros wrote:
           | Just make sure you don't drive one, or you'll change your
           | mind.
        
             | iwontberude wrote:
             | We've been driving them for over a decade now. They aren't
             | new anymore, and they still aren't a panacea. There is this
             | cool thing called car rental, it lets you use cars that
             | aren't your own.
        
               | stavros wrote:
               | There's also this thing called reading comprehension, I
               | don't know where you can rent it, but sometimes it does
               | help on online forums.
        
               | iwontberude wrote:
               | There's also a thing called repeating a joke format for
               | effect. And it's not a very good effect.
        
               | stavros wrote:
               | I can see that.
        
               | iwontberude wrote:
               | Wait was your original comment being sarcastic? Because
               | if so, spot on. They really do be speaking like that.
        
           | discordance wrote:
           | Very little maintenance is one big feature. After 3 years I
           | have only had to change the tires, air filter and windscreen
           | wipers.
           | 
           | For long road trips I've never had an issue stopping to
           | rest/stretch while fast charging for between 15-30 mins.
        
             | SirHumphrey wrote:
             | Sure, but we are talking about a Toyota so there is (at
             | least in my experience) not that much maintenance to begin
             | with.
        
               | dotancohen wrote:
               | Toyotas may need less repairs than other vehicles, but of
               | course they have the same maintenance schedules and costs
               | as other vehicles.
               | 
               | Compare periodic oil changes, spark plug changes,
               | ignition coils, stolen catalytic converters, exhaust
               | system, PCV system, air and fuel filters, brake pads,
               | transmission fluid, and other ICE maintenance items with
               | the electric drivetrain. At 120,000 km I've replaced the
               | tires once and the brake pads look brand new. That's it.
               | Even the windshield wipers are still in good shape for
               | some reason.
        
               | theoreticalmal wrote:
               | Oil filters and brakes are on the easier spectrum of
               | maintainenance, but I'd still rather not do them if I
               | don't have to (which with my EV, I won't)
        
           | tonmoy wrote:
           | Most EVs these days can recharge 300ish miles in 15 mins, but
           | 99% of the time I don't even have to drive anywhere to refuel
           | as it get recharged overnight in my garage. EVs are waaay
           | more efficient in terms of MPGe so at least for me it is less
           | half in terms of cost to refuel compared to petrol not even
           | considering the external cost of emitting CO2
        
             | bigstrat2003 wrote:
             | 15 minutes is still not as good as the 2 minutes it takes
             | to fill up a gas tank. Electric cars just aren't there yet
             | for long drives, though they are great for everyday driving
             | around town.
        
           | snowwrestler wrote:
           | The iPhone actually had way worse battery life than basically
           | any Nokia. It's a great comparison. People happily traded
           | more features for having to plug their phone in every night.
        
             | numpad0 wrote:
             | iPhone also had same modem as everyone. It wasn't a Wi-Fi
             | device, it was a phone-computer hybrid.
             | 
             | Compared to that, EVs feel more like Wi-Fi or WiMAX device
             | that owners would say theirs are daily drivable but only
             | make Discord calls. Overall situation more closely resemble
             | PDAs _before_ iPhone.
        
         | nebula8804 wrote:
         | Don't they have a RAV4 EV coming Fall 26? Thats one of their
         | top models. With new generation design that looks nice! They
         | seem pretty serious if they are putting their signature model
         | into EV production. Not to mention their other EVs launching in
         | 2026.
         | 
         | Have Tesla released any new models? The hot thing that people
         | are waiting for right now is not really a new model, its the
         | return of the turn stalk. I mean I get that they sell well
         | because there is lack of options but if you take a step back,
         | this is clown company behavior.
        
         | nixass wrote:
         | > That's great, but the writing is still on the wall if Toyota
         | doesn't get serious about electric cars.
         | 
         | Toyota is following national direction where natural resources
         | are scarce, including generating electricity. It's actually
         | government's idea to chase hydrogen as a viable alternative to
         | dyno juice.
         | 
         | >With their current trajectory Toyota is headed at 1000mph
         | directly towards being the next Blackberry, Kodak, Nokia or
         | Blockbuster.
         | 
         | Lol absolutely not. Toyota is well positioned with their
         | hybrids while also having EV in the pipeline. Have in mind that
         | great majority of world population has no viable means to
         | charge their cars either reliably, cheaply or at all. Hybrids
         | make great sense in great majority of use cases.
         | 
         | > Currently Tesla is the iPhone to Toyota's Nokia and they're
         | going to have to work very hard very soon to turn that around
         | or their company will die.
         | 
         | Oh FFS
        
         | jansan wrote:
         | > That's great, but the writing is still on the wall if Toyota
         | doesn't get serious about electric cars.
         | 
         | It seems they know what they are doing. Toyota is a very
         | profitable car manufacturer, with profit in 2024 more than
         | Tesla and Volkswagen combined. Unlike Nissan, the maker of the
         | best selling EV of all time, who is struggling very hard.
        
           | decimalenough wrote:
           | Tesla sells nearly as many cars in a _quarter_ (497,099 in Q3
           | 2025) as the Leaf managed in its _entire lifetime_ (577,000
           | between 2010 and 2022).
        
             | hopelite wrote:
             | Is the hating Tesla tantrum over?
             | 
             | That being said, you can't really compare the sales of all
             | of Teslas to the sales of one specific form factor/model
             | with any kind of seriousness. Nor do I think it's a fair
             | comparison to compare Tesla that has parted on various hype
             | patterns over the years to tap the zealots into even
             | becoming their free advertisement and marketing departments
             | not unlike how Apple fanboy cult people at least used to
             | be. Toyota is a mature, reasonable enterprise whose sales
             | are orders of magnitude larger than Tesla's and there are
             | many people's lives dependent on being reasonable when
             | shifting things, not "disrupt" in a typical tech bro
             | narcissistic way.
             | 
             | For context Tesla has roughly 2 million sales with 125,000
             | employees, Toyota has 11 million sales with 385,000
             | employees. I assume I don't need to do the math for you.
             | 
             | And that's without going into the various battery issues
             | and the now conflicting electricity interests between EV
             | and AI.
        
               | lotsofpulp wrote:
               | 95% (actual percentage) of Teslas sold are Model 3 or
               | Model Y, so one can cut that sales figure in half and
               | still reasonably compare to the sales of another model.
               | 
               | >And that's without going into the various battery issues
               | and the now conflicting electricity interests between EV
               | and AI.
               | 
               | I do not understand what this means. Isn't the same gas
               | used to power vehicles used to power turbines that
               | provide electricity?
        
               | rogerrogerr wrote:
               | The Toyota number is very misleading because dealership
               | employees don't have Toyota badges; they have Dave's
               | Hometown Stealership badges. Tesla store employees have
               | Tesla badges.
               | 
               | You're counting customer-facing employees for Tesla and
               | leaving them out for Toyota.
        
             | jansan wrote:
             | I stand corrected, the Leaf figure was wrong. Nevertheless,
             | Toyota is very profitable despite (or because?) it does not
             | sell a significant number of EVs. Margins on EVs are
             | currently extremely low or even negative, and that is
             | hurting EV manufaturers more than ICE manufacturers.
        
         | defcontracter2 wrote:
         | Toyota won't build BEVs in scale, nor will most of the Japanese
         | brands. They can't.
         | 
         | Japan can't build the batteries for BEV's at the necessary
         | scale for global production. Yes China controls lithium but
         | they also control some 95% of global battery grade graphite
         | production, and anywhere from 60% to 90% production of
         | manganese, cobalt, and nickle. Not to mention all of the
         | components that those produce like the anodes and cathodes.
         | 
         | And the big problem with that is the Japanese genuinely fears
         | there's going to be a war in the pacific. A big one. Fearful
         | enough that Japanese government allocated $320 billion USD to
         | be spent from 2024 to 2029 specifically to turn the JSDF into a
         | proper military, and establish and sustain a new domestic
         | military industrial complex.
         | 
         | The main flashpoint the Japanese are afraid of is a Chinese
         | military attack on Taiwan, which leads two major possibilities.
         | Either the US intervenes with the military, or it does not.
         | 
         | If the former, then China has to find a way to take away as
         | many of the US Navy's advantages as they can. One of which is
         | the major resupply facilities for the US 7th fleet in Yokosuka.
         | Push comes to shove then I have little doubt that the Chinese
         | will launch missiles into the Japanese harbors to deny the USN
         | and JMSDF capability of repair and rearming via kinetic means.
         | But I'm certain they'd prefer to pressure the Japanese into
         | reducing or removing the US presence from Japanese docks.
         | 
         | Pressure like say being able to potentially cripple 10% of
         | Japanese GDP that's in it's automotive sector if hypothetically
         | Japan was dependent on Chinese exports of BEV batteries. Not
         | exactly with precedent either; China tried to cut off Japan
         | from rare earth metals once (admittedly that backfired on
         | China) and China's recently put on export license restrictions
         | on graphite.
         | 
         | Like it or not, the Japanese know it, the Chinese know it, and
         | even the US is fully aware of it. The US is right now building
         | new US navy bases in the Philippines just in case Japanese
         | harbors become denied to the USN. Also why the Japanese are
         | building up it's capability to strike not just far off Chinese
         | naval assets but potentially into the Chinese mainland as well;
         | the first an order for 500 US made Tomahawk missiles are
         | already being installed right now on JMSDF destroyers.
         | 
         | On the other hands, if it's the former and the US chooses not
         | to intervene... well it's gonna get very lonely for Japan out
         | there all by itself.
         | 
         | You know the really sad part though? The Japanese were
         | relenting a bit because they signed the US Japan Critical
         | Minerals Agreement in 2023 which in effect promised no undue
         | burden for the Japanese to get access to critical minerals.
         | They just didn't dive head in because it was signed under the
         | Biden administration.
         | 
         | Given the Trump administration's open hostility to BEV's, his
         | erratic trade policies, and his open musing about withdrawing
         | from mutual defense agreements (normally NATO but not a stretch
         | to think he'd extend that to the Japanese US one as well I
         | don't think they've made the wrong choice. Or rather more
         | accurate that it's the least risky choice out of a bunch of
         | awful choices.
        
           | ZeroGravitas wrote:
           | China is in the process of crippling 10% of Japan's GDP in
           | automotive, just by building EVs and EV components and
           | selling them to other nearby countries where Toyota (and
           | other Japanese brands) currently dominate and hae vchosen not
           | to compete in this new format. So we don't need Tom Clancy to
           | generate scenarios where this will be bad for Japan.
        
             | decimalenough wrote:
             | Exactly. Look no further than Thailand, long a bastion of
             | both Japanese car manufacturing and Japanese cars locally:
             | 
             | https://www.ft.com/content/e33a2cbf-9a7e-4964-8914-c129d294
             | 7...
             | 
             | The absolute numbers are still small, but as momentum
             | shifts to EVs, Japan's market share will collapse.
        
         | prodipto81 wrote:
         | Got
        
         | 2muchcoffeeman wrote:
         | Tesla is not the manufacturer to beat.
        
         | ozgrakkurt wrote:
         | EVs are trash compared to equal price gas car. For example if
         | you compare camry with a similarly priced EV, BYD or Tesla
         | doesn't have quality/reliability at the same level
        
         | floundy wrote:
         | This is hilarious projection of your preferences and market
         | predictions onto every other consumer.
         | 
         | I bought a 2024 Toyota hybrid. I don't care about electric
         | vehicles and won't bother reinvestigating them until 2034 at
         | the earliest. I don't see the problems with electric vehicles
         | being solved anytime soon in the US.
        
         | octagons wrote:
         | Toyota moves more slowly than many other brands because of
         | their company culture/philosophy.
         | 
         | To your point about BEVs, Toyota started producing BEV
         | batteries at their plant in North Carolina this year:
         | https://www.toyota.com/usa/operations/map/tbmnc
        
         | breve wrote:
         | > _That 's great, but the writing is still on the wall if
         | Toyota doesn't get serious about electric cars._
         | 
         | This sentiment doesn't match the practical reality. Toyota is
         | the best selling automaker in the world.
         | 
         | In 2011 Toyota sold 7.9 million cars. In 2023 Toyota sold 11.2
         | million, a record sales year. It looks like 2025 might set a
         | new sales record for Toyota:
         | 
         | https://www.autoblog.com/news/nearly-900000-cars-sold-toyota...
         | 
         | Toyota isn't getting the car business wrong. Toyota is getting
         | it right.
         | 
         | BEVs will make up a greater percentage of Toyota's sales as
         | time goes on. The notion Toyota somehow doesn't understand the
         | car business is just false.
        
       | DrNosferatu wrote:
       | Pwn2own?
        
       | feraldidactic wrote:
       | Hack-a-Toyotathon.
        
       | 01HNNWZ0MV43FF wrote:
       | The big security issue is that cars should not phone home, Toyota
       | please patch
        
       | BrandoElFollito wrote:
       | My brother had his car (a sleek AUDI) stolen in front of his
       | house. He left the key in the entry hall, and someone extended
       | the range.
       | 
       | Are current electronics (the consumer ones) good enough at scale
       | to limit the time the round-trip car-key-car takes?
        
         | addaon wrote:
         | UWB, used by CCC keys (iOS and Android; UWB might be optional
         | for Android?) definitely is -- TOF distance precision in the
         | inches.
        
           | octagons wrote:
           | FYI - the inclusion of UWB (specifically the FiRa consortium
           | secure ranging standard) was not part of the CCC Digital Key
           | specification until v4.0.0, which only left its draft state
           | very recently, at least in terms of automotive security
           | standards.
        
         | hsbauauvhabzb wrote:
         | I think a fundamental problem is that keys aren't security
         | forward compatible - break the keys and you've broken an entire
         | generation (or more) of cars.
         | 
         | The only solutions I can see are software based keying and a
         | mobile app or legally enforced security guarantees.
         | 
         | But the car manufacturers don't give a fuck if your 3 years and
         | one day old car gets stolen. You move to the next competitor,
         | only for the same to happen in just over three years time.
         | Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.
        
           | mlrtime wrote:
           | >The only solutions I can see are software based keying and a
           | mobile app or legally enforced security guarantees.
           | 
           | Wouldn't this require the phone to be trusted and not run
           | unsigned software?
        
             | BrandoElFollito wrote:
             | The software part is a solved problem - this is how the web
             | is secured. There would be an exchange of keys with the
             | car, and done.
             | 
             | This does not solve the problem of the timing (but the
             | sibling comment explained that this one has a solution)
        
           | omoikane wrote:
           | I think the problem here is that traditional keys expect
           | physical security, and this expectation is broken because key
           | fobs are now wireless and thieves have range extenders. I
           | thought the best practice here is to store the wireless
           | capable key fobs inside Faraday cages when they are not in
           | use to restore physical security.
        
         | thelastgallon wrote:
         | Electric cars are theft proof. No car thief would steal an
         | electric car.
        
           | thelastgallon wrote:
           | I don't understand the downvotes. I am just curious about
           | whats the rationale. If there is a counterpoint, please
           | downvote by all means, but make the point so I learn how to
           | think better!
        
             | slater wrote:
             | No explanation or elaboration on your claim that electric
             | vehicles are theft-proof
        
               | thelastgallon wrote:
               | I thought it was obvious. Charging (scoping just to US)
               | has some difficulties. First, you need to know how
               | charging works (110V vs 240V vs DC fast charging) and
               | also understand what kind of charging the car you are
               | stealing supports: https://www.power-sonic.com/ev-
               | charging-connector-types. Also understand the various
               | apps that are needed for different cars and how they
               | work. The thief most likely may not have charging at home
               | or at work (if they have a place of work, I'd assume they
               | are not working at FAANGs, which have 2 - 3 EV chargers
               | at each location). Then, when they are chased by cops,
               | etc, they will eventually run out of charge. They can't
               | do a quick pitstop. When they are charging, lets say at a
               | Tesla station, the car may be electronically identified.
               | But, most importantly, the media instills a fear of
               | electricity (you can't find electricity anywhere except
               | these things called EV charging stations and there are
               | very few charging stations) and electric cars. Everyone
               | is worried about range (range anxiety).
        
               | joshuahaglund wrote:
               | You're assuming so much that is wrong. Thieves don't know
               | how to use technology?
               | 
               | They can't use a charger? (I imagine they'd wire one to
               | an also stolen generator)
               | 
               | Then you assume they're gonna be in a car chase? That's
               | not how most stolen vehicles end up.
               | 
               | Afaik most stolen vehicles either get quickly parted out
               | at a chop shop, or are sent across a border (driven
               | across borders or container shipped to another country),
               | or used for other crimes, or they're joy rided around
               | then abandoned. Basically all things you could easily do
               | on a partial charge with a modern car mechanics skills.
        
         | lotsofpulp wrote:
         | I am curious if any Teslas have ever been stolen by being able
         | to duplicate the Tesla key.
         | 
         | Is app + Bluetooth or the NFC cards inherently more secure than
         | traditional key fobs?
        
         | lostlogin wrote:
         | How does that work?
         | 
         | Once they have driven 100m what happens?
        
       | sublimefire wrote:
       | Car companies would benefit from hiring thieves in the dark web.
       | There were always toolkits on sale as well. So they could just
       | investigate what is being done to steal the cars and patch it. I
       | suppose a good bounty program would help as well as the tech
       | savvy thieves would have a choice to get a bug bounty instead of
       | ganging up with other criminals. Sort of divide and conquer.
        
         | alephnerd wrote:
         | Automotive Pentesting has been an industry for years [0][1][2]
         | 
         | [0] - https://www.praetorian.com/services/automotive-
         | penetration-t...
         | 
         | [1] - https://plaxidityx.com/
         | 
         | [2] - https://autocrypt.io/
        
       | Theodores wrote:
       | The legacy automakers have been cramming ever more ECUs into
       | their cars, at a considerable cost expense. Tesla did something
       | different with the big screen and one 'big computer' rather than
       | a bevvy of ECUs. This appears to be the design pattern going
       | forward, as evidenced by VW's investment in Rivian, where they
       | also go for the 'big computer' approach.
       | 
       | It seems to me that the security of Tesla cars is pretty good,
       | compared to that of the legacy automakers. You can't hotwire a
       | Tesla.
       | 
       | Securing one computer is relatively easy when compared to the
       | challenge of securing a veritable forest of hardware, as made by
       | numerous suppliers.
       | 
       | Regarding the way that general attacks on car security systems
       | happen, something has gone wrong with how all of it has been
       | implemented. RFID works fine in many other applications, but they
       | are doing it 'back to front' with automotive and it is just too
       | easy to hack. I am not even sure it has been for features people
       | really want. Remotely opening the car before you get in it has
       | convenience value but we got in trouble with that.
        
         | ocdtrekkie wrote:
         | You can't hotwire a Tesla, but the manufacturer can, and can
         | stop you from driving it too. I am not sure on the whole I
         | prefer that option.
        
           | lotsofpulp wrote:
           | All the other new car seem like they are coming with
           | integrated modems also, so I presume they have the same
           | capability of stopping you from driving the car too.
        
         | numpad0 wrote:
         | Wasn't Tesla basically a Toyota until recently? The big dash
         | computer was just a car equivalent of Nest thermostat, at least
         | when I looked at it, it could have been an Arduino with a key
         | cylinder and the car would work fine.
        
       | Buttons840 wrote:
       | There's 2 things when it comes to security:
       | 
       | Companies are responsible for their own security. You cannot try
       | to hack them without their permission. Security researchers who
       | do something like test the security of a car without the
       | permission of the car manufacturer (like in this post) are
       | committing a felony.
       | 
       | Also, companies are not responsible (liable) for their own poor
       | security. If they do something like leak the private data of half
       | the nation--shrug--what can you do?
       | 
       | How convenient for companies. It's literally a matter of national
       | security; our national security is made worse by this status-quo,
       | but at least companies aren't bothered by unwanted security
       | researchers.
       | 
       | We need to pick a lane.
       | 
       | If companies want to be solely responsible for their own
       | security, then they should also be solely reliable for any
       | damages done by their own poor security.
       | 
       | Or, we can recognize that security is really hard and make it a
       | team effort and setup laws to protect security researchers, and
       | then special "events" wouldn't be needed for security research;
       | anyone could test the security systems at any time, and
       | especially people would be able to test the security of devices
       | they own.
        
         | andrewmcwatters wrote:
         | > Companies are responsible for their own security. You cannot
         | try to hack them without their permission. Security researchers
         | who do something like test the security of a car without the
         | permission of the car manufacturer (like in this post) are
         | committing a felony.
         | 
         | Not a single sentence here is correct.
        
           | bigfudge wrote:
           | I think you need to expand here. My understanding is that
           | there is a lot of law you can fall foul of pen testing and
           | sharing vulns on products of companies you don't work for.
        
           | jfyi wrote:
           | It's phrased weirdly, but the op is describing an idealized
           | status quo as would be seen from a corporate standpoint. It
           | was meant to contradict itself and thus:
           | 
           | >We need to pick a lane.
           | 
           | I imagine op would likely agree it isn't actually that
           | monotoned and this was done for rhetorical purposes.
        
         | ycombinatrix wrote:
         | >Security researchers who do something like test the security
         | of a car without the permission of the car manufacturer (like
         | in this post) are committing a felony.
         | 
         | citation needed
        
           | Buttons840 wrote:
           | > No person shall circumvent a technological measure that
           | effectively controls access to a work
           | 
           | Source: DMCA: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/17/1201
           | 
           | I'm sure that spending a few hundred thousand dollars on
           | lawyers _might_ find a legal loophole, but I wouldn 't count
           | on it.
           | 
           | Why is it illegal to break the encryption of video game
           | consoles? Whatever the answer is, the same can be applied to
           | breaking the encryption of a car.
        
             | godelski wrote:
             | It's not clear DMCA applies in this setting. I'm neither a
             | lawyer nor a "hacker", but reading through the whole page
             | you linked I can't figure out what part implies cars are
             | covered? If they were, then it seems like it would put
             | mechanics at best in a gray area.                 > Why is
             | it illegal to break the encryption of video game consoles?
             | 
             | Is it? I know it is illegal to strip a game and upload it
             | to the internet. But is it illegal to save your own digital
             | copy? I was under the impression that this violates terms
             | of use, but isn't illegal. That the legality was focused
             | around distribution.
             | 
             | IIRC Sony lost that court case where the Navy turned their
             | Playstations into a supercomputer.
             | 
             | I'm not trying to argue, but I'm trying to state my
             | understanding so someone can better help me understand. I
             | really do want to know how many crimes I've committed lol
        
             | makeitdouble wrote:
             | It would need to be handle significantly different from
             | lock picking, which is legal. I assume one could craft an
             | argument to shove DMCA in it, but that doesn't sound clear
             | cut.
             | 
             | To your point, would most researchers want to spend lawyer
             | money to test that ? Surely not.
        
       | chasd00 wrote:
       | Tangent but I have a 2016 Toyota 4Runner. Great car and fits my
       | family and needs perfectly. The key fob broke so I needed to get
       | a replacement, I got a blank and had a locksmith cut and program
       | the blank. He must have not done it right because it worked and
       | then I got stranded cause it must have lost its pair to the car
       | or something. Nothing wrong with the vehicle, the engine wouldn't
       | start because of the key. I do road trips through the desert SW
       | and other remote places, if I have the key I need the car to
       | start no matter what. I really don't want my keys to require a
       | battery either. I wish there was a way to bypass the rfid/BLE or
       | whatever it is.
        
         | vigilans wrote:
         | Did you get a genuine key? I never had one fail on me.
         | 
         | The immobilizer is the single best piece of technology for
         | preventing car theft. If you create a backdoor for bypassing
         | it, you'll end up like Hyundai/Kia which decided to sell cars
         | without the immobilizer in recent years and which have turned
         | into a joke in the minds of potential customers.
         | 
         | It does not require a battery in most cases and is separate
         | from the keeloq system that controls your car's doors.
        
           | SV_BubbleTime wrote:
           | The Stellantis systems I've worked on have a nice feature
           | that there is a battery for the proximity use, that you can
           | keep the key in your pocket and press the button to run the
           | car, as long as the key is within the four or five proximity
           | sensors you are fine.
           | 
           | When that battery dies, you can press the directly to the
           | start button and it uses a "receiver powered transmitter"
           | RFID close proximity to start and run the vehicle.
           | 
           | Most people don't know this, so when that battery dies they
           | panic and suffer.
        
             | giobox wrote:
             | This technique of pressing the dead key to the starter
             | button works for quite a lot of brands, not just Stellantis
             | vehicles. Always worth trying if you are in a "keyless" car
             | with a dead key fob battery.
             | 
             | In my experience virtually everything made in last 15 years
             | will either support this RFID backup or have a spare
             | physical key hidden inside the keyless fob.
             | 
             | Lots of them will even let you press the dead key against
             | some part of the exterior to unlock the doors too.
        
               | SV_BubbleTime wrote:
               | What is funny to me is that before the proximity and push
               | https start... the keys had RFID and an antenna at the
               | lock cylinder anyhow.
               | 
               | They just left that same antenna in place (in Chrysler+
               | anyhow, called SKIM) now as a backup instead of the
               | primary.
        
         | FunkyDuckling wrote:
         | for my 2016 Mazda, the keys do not need a battery to operate.
         | 
         | you instead need to hold the fob up to the start button and it
         | will work passively, rather than just being in the car
         | normally. Glad they still give manuals with cars as I had to
         | learn that without service.
        
           | SV_BubbleTime wrote:
           | There are three systems to the key, the doors and remote
           | start, the "passive entry" which requires the battery, and
           | the backup RFID you're talking about.
        
         | kakacik wrote:
         | If you even rarely get into situations you describe, saving on
         | a freakin' key fob and not going via official dealership is
         | supremely... not smart.
         | 
         | What you describe would be exactly reason #1 I would
         | immediately say to anybody on topic of why not saving
         | desperately on such a thing, despite never being in such
         | situation myself.
         | 
         | Sometimes learning from other's mistakes should be enough. No,
         | mostly it should be enough.
        
           | chasd00 wrote:
           | Difficulty: dealership replacement keys are like $500/each
           | believe it or not.
        
         | slicktux wrote:
         | You can disable the RFID by manipulating the right bits in the
         | ECU's anti-theft EEPROM. Something that's done with imported
         | engines from Japan for sports car engine swap; they usually
         | come with wire harnesses and ECU but no key. I know how its
         | done for the imported 3SGTE engine ECU... I'm sure it's not too
         | different for the 2013 4Runner. Though, Toyota makes some newer
         | ECUs nearly impossible to open without damaging the circuit
         | board and anti-theft bypass requires physical access to the
         | EEPROM.
         | 
         | Edit: RFID should not need battery...you can reprogram your own
         | key by jumpering the correct OBD2 pins..process takes about 20
         | minutes...
        
         | collingreen wrote:
         | Get ready for key subscriptions!
        
       | OutputRiff wrote:
       | Or we could make Toyotas tunable like many other brands. I would
       | love to tune my Tundra like I could tune my GTI. The mid 2010s
       | after market super charged Tundras were so cool!
        
       | sviruz wrote:
       | The laptop in the second picture looks very nice. Thinkpad?
       | Anyone knows what model this is?
        
         | wslh wrote:
         | X1 Carbon? [1][2]
         | 
         | [1] https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/08/review-latest-
         | lenovo...
         | 
         | [2] https://www.synaptics.com/company/news/selene-lenovo-
         | power-b...
        
       ___________________________________________________________________
       (page generated 2025-10-04 23:02 UTC)