Driving down the rabbit hole

Over the past few years, cars and automotive systems have gained increasing attention as cyber-attack targets. Cars are expensive. Breaking cars can cost a lot. So how can we find vulnerabilities in a car with no budget? We’ll take you with us on a journey from zero car security validation experience through the discovery and disclosure of multiple remotely-exploitable automotive vulnerabilities. Along the way, we’ll visit a wrecking yard, reassemble (most) of a 2015 Nissan Leaf in our lab, discuss how we picked our battles, fought them, and won. During our talk, we’ll examine the details of three different classes of vulnerabilities we found in this vehicle, how they can be exploited, and the potential ramifications to the owner of their real-world exploitation. We’ll also discuss the broader scope of the vulnerabilities discovered, how they extend beyond just this specific vehicle, and what the industry can do better to prevent these types of problems in the future.

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