In a display of the growing importance of cybersecurity, a group of security researchers have successfully hacked the modem of a Tesla car. The team, known as Synacktiv, achieved this feat on the first day of the PWN2WAN AUTOMOTIVE 2024 competition currently being held in Tokyo. As a result of their efforts, they were rewarded with a total of $722,500.
The group of white hat hackers managed to uncover an impressive 24 zero-day vulnerabilities during their hack. These vulnerabilities refer to flaws in software that have not yet been discovered or patched by its developers, making them particularly valuable for malicious actors.
As part of their successful hack, Synacktiv exploited three of these zero-day vulnerabilities to achieve root access to the targeted Tesla car. This means that they were able to gain complete control over the car’s functions and files, with the ability to install and delete software, change system settings, and manipulate files anywhere within the system.
Root access, while potentially beneficial for experienced users and developers due to the increased flexibility and control it provides, also carries significant risks. Incorrect changes or the installation of malicious software can lead to device damage or compromise its security. Therefore, caution must be exercised when utilizing root access.