Tesla issues patch for security flaws found by hackers

The company said it has deployed and developed an over the air update to Model S holders to tackle the “vulnerabilities”.

TSLA affirmed elements of the report and replied it has already sent a software patch to owners.

While direct access to the vehicle was required to perform the hack, Rogers and Mahaffey still warn that hackers could eventually compromise a driver’s safety.

Many of these developments-including a recent hack of GM’s OnStar RemoteLink system-will be part of presentations will be made at the upcoming Def Con hacking convention in Las Vegas. The control was limited to “any action accessible to the center touch screen or Tesla’s smartphone app”.

The automaker said that the security team works narrowly with the security research community to make sure that they keep on protecting their systems against vulnerabilities through stress-testing, updating and validating their safeguards constantly. For their research, he and Rogers plugged a laptop into a Model S Ethernet port and exploited the vulnerabilities until they tapped into the entertainment software.

The auto is propelled by two independent, digitally controlled electric motors details of which will be revealed towards the launch.

The Model X is being built in the company’s Fremont plant alongside the Model S and is tricky to construct because of its unique side doors that open out and upward.

By making a malicious web page, they were able to demonstrate that in theory by visiting this web page from within a Tesla vehicle the infotainment system became vulnerable to attack.

The “most technologically advanced car” tag in the world did not save Tesla from the clutches of hackers. The Chrysler hack also resulted in a “virtual recall”, in which patches were downloaded to 1.4 million Jeep Grand Cherokees.

As far as vehicle cybersecurity goes, however, the researchers did mention that Tesla is at the top of the list.

The two San Francisco based hackers notified Tesla about the security issues via an email.

“Simply put, in a choice between a great product or hitting quarterly numbers, we will take the former”, Musk and chief financial officer Deepak Ahuja said in a letter to shareholders, posted on the company’s website. “Overall, I feel more secure driving in a Tesla Model S than any other connected vehicle on the road”.