A car alarm vendor’s coding mistake has left millions of vehicles vulnerable to theft and location tracking. Thanks to the way dealers sell car alarms, many affected drivers don’t even know they have one installed.
The device is the KARR Security System, a Bluetooth-enabled aftermarket alarm built by Acrisure Protection Group. It’s installed by dealers, primarily at Honda, Toyota, Mazda, Ford, and Jeep dealerships in Southern California.
Aftermarket car alarms are a strange corner of the auto industry. Dealers install them in your car before you ever see the vehicle, then try to sell you the subscription afterward. Say no and the hardware still stays put. According to researchers at the University of California San Diego, KARR systems are installed in about 2.2 million American vehicles, and around half of owners don’t even know they’re there.
Read more…
Source: MalwareBytes Labs
Sign up for the Cyber Security Review Newsletter
The latest cyber security news and insights delivered right to your inbox
Related:
- CISA released Security Advisory on MiCODUS MV720 Global Positioning System (GPS) Tracker
July 19, 2022
CISA has released an Industrial Controls Systems Advisory (ICSA) detailing six vulnerabilities that were discovered in MiCODUS MV720 Global Positioning System Tracker. Successful exploitation of these vulnerabilities may allow a remote actor to exploit access and gain control the global positioning system tracker. These vulnerabilities could impact access to a vehicle fuel supply, vehicle control, or ...
- Automotive fabric supplier TB Kawashima announces cyberattack
June 25, 2022
TB Kawashima, part of the Japanese automotive component manufacturer Toyota Boshoku of the Toyota Group of companies, announced that one of its subsidiaries has been hit by a cyberattack. The company did not confirm but there is reason to suspect that it is dealing with an attack from the LockBit ransomware group. TB Kawashima is a manufacturer ...
- Hackers Can Steal Your Tesla by Creating Their Own Personal Keys
June 9, 2022
Last year, Tesla issued an update that made its vehicles easier to start after being unlocked with their NFC key cards. Now, a researcher has shown how the feature can be exploited to steal cars. For years, drivers who used their Tesla NFC key card to unlock their cars had to place the card on the ...
- What’s wrong with automotive mobile apps?
May 25, 2022
The recent story about the 19-year-old hacker who took control of several dozen Tesla cars has become something of a sensation. We already know that there was an issue with a third-party app that enabled access to data from Teslas. This made it possible for the security researcher to lock and unlock the cars, turn the ...
- GM credential stuffing attack exposed car owners’ personal info
May 24, 2022
US car manufacturer GM disclosed that it was the victim of a credential stuffing attack last month that exposed some customers’ information and allowed hackers to redeem rewards points for gift cards. General Motors operates an online platform to help owners of Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac vehicles manage their bills, services, and redeem rewards points. Car ...
- Automotive giant Denso confirms hack, Pandora ransomware group takes credit
March 14, 2022
Denso has confirmed a cyberattack impacting the firm’s German operations. The company is a global supplier of automotive components, including those developed for autonomous vehicle features, connectivity, and mobility services. Denso says that its technologies are used in “almost all vehicles around the globe.” Clients include Toyota, Honda, General Motors, and Ford. Consolidated revenue in the 2020-2021 ...