Tesla, over the past few years, has quickly become a symbol of a new age in automotive transportation. Self-driving cars, fully electric vehicles that are fast, comfortable, efficient, and are chock full of features that scream "the future is now" and that would have defied even the most optimistic tech lover's expectations 10 years ago. They're great cars, and they only seem to be getting better as time goes on. A major drawback, however, of driving a computer on wheels is something that we know all too well: computers tend to have plenty of security holes that could cause myriad problems for the user, problems that would be exponentially worse cruising at 60 down the freeway.
Researches have found that the GPS systems that form a massive portion of the famous Tesla Autopilot feature are vulnerable to GPS spoofing attacks, allowing an attacker to mess around with some of the autopilot functions related to speed, steering and braking, as well as forcing the car to take exits and detours that a driver was not planning on. Thankfully, the car is advanced enough to prevent launching itself into tree or embankment, but the dangers of being diverted into an area where a driver does not want to go cannot be understated.
This attack IS highly experimental, but can be performed from over 10km away as long as there is line of sight between the attacker and the Tesla itself. The chances of someone using this against you right now are pretty astronomical, but a chance, even a small one, is still something that should be considered if you own one of these cars, or if you've been considering getting your hands on one.
To learn more, check out the full article below.
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