The technology can have many disadvantages, including vulnerability to cyber threats and hackers. The same is now valid for car technology. Car companies are concerned about vehicle security and want to keep hackers away from their customers.
Tesla Motors has started hiring the best hacker in the respective industries. They will outperform those who aren’t the best. Automotive hackers will no longer be able to crack codes as easily. The company’s hacker recruit attended the recent programming conference (Def Con security conferences) in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Kristin Page, Tesla’s expert in security, recruited the best talent from the automotive industry. He wanted to hire tech experts who were familiar with binary code.
It is possible to ask why Tesla is losing sleep over this.
Two incidents led to such aggressive hiring.
In the first instance, a Model S driver could access his car’s system and access a nonstandard web browser via the large 17-inch central display screen. Tesla received a notification of the incident and sent a letter warning the owner that the warranty would be suspended if the activities continued. The customer complied, but it raised some questions.
In the second incident, one of the strangest, a Chinese technology conference called SyScan, offered a $10,000 cash prize to tech geeks who could hack into the Model S computer system and take control of significant functions. One group could remotely control the car’s horn, sunroof, and headlights. Tesla was clearly in a state of distress. It was anxious to protect its electronic-dependent vehicles as soon as possible.
It may be worse to bypass the Model S’ computer firewall than a nonstandard web browser or even an unruly Sunroof. Tesla is a computer on wheels that updates the car via the internet. This makes it vulnerable to being remotely located and controlled by a laptop.
Tesla now believes in “knowing your enemy” and has taken steps to prevent hackers from remotely controlling its electronic vehicles.
Tesla owners can rest easy knowing the company has launched an anti-dote campaign!
