Hackers Spoof Tesla GPS, And Lead The Model 3 On Wild Goose Chase

Another Model 3 has been hacked, this time without the manufacturer’s blessing. We’re equating it to a mild goosing. Regulus Cyber, a company specializing in digital security, decided to give the Tesla (and a Model S) a shakedown by seeing if they could fool the car’s navigational equipment and upset/confuse Autopilot to the point of failure.

Let’s see how they did. 

According to Bloomberg, the company purchased some readily available electronics equipment and got to work. Regulus Cyber’s own account, said these items were a $150 Analog Devices ADALM-PLUTO Active Learning Module (for jamming) and a $400 Nuand bladeR (for spoofing). Both of which you can buy online with a valid credit card.

The plan was simple: jam the car from receiving a legitimate GPS signal and spoof the system with falsified data. In the test, Regulus claimed it was able to trick the car into pulling off the highway. While cruising to a previously established location using Autopilot, the firm said it swapped in garbage GPS information that redirected the vehicle to a point 150 meters before an exit it was originally supposed to take.

atc98092 - 7/1/2019 12:39:55 PM

+1 Boost

Guess what, they could do that to any other GPS in the area. Yes, on the Tesla it impacted the auto-steer, and would do the same to a Cadillac with Super-Cruise. While GPS hoaxing is a serious issue, especially for aviation, this was a hit piece specifically against Tesla.

I don't own a Tesla, or any stock, and am highly unlikely to ever have any. I just think they need to be fair to the company.

PUGPROUD - 7/1/2019 1:08:02 PM

+5 Boost

Autonomous driven cars are coming....whatever could go wrong?

MDarringer - 7/1/2019 3:58:57 PM

+1 Boost

Wait. I thought Tesla was infallible.

TomM - 7/2/2019 7:26:13 AM

+3 Boost

I have in the past indicated that this is ONE real problem - but NOT ONLY for Autonomous cars. THe industry is moving to software updates on the Fly. THAT means that eventually such a thing could happen to EVERY car on the road. As I have pointed out in the past - just imagine someone telling every car on the road to stop dead in its tracks. This has the makings of a nightmare!

MDarringer - 7/2/2019 8:34:27 AM

+2 Boost

#terrorism