Hackers Remotely Take Over A Nissan’s Steering

White hat hackers from PCAutomotive, a firm based out of Hungary, were able to not only remotely access a Nissan Leaf but manipulate the car’s steering system, among other things. These sorts of hacks of vehicles have been a topic of concern for well over eight years now, so the fact automakers have failed to close security gaps which would allow for these kinds of remote attacks is concerning.

The EPA is ending the requirement for auto start/stop systems in cars.

The tech security firm showed in a video about the hack attempt how a guy on his laptop was able to change what was displayed on the infotainment touchscreen. Then the hacker started recording audio from the electric car’s interior, meaning someone could invade the privacy of Leaf owners.

Then the guy played the audio back inside the vehicle, showing how a hacker could take over the sound system and broadcast whatever they want.

While at first the ability of the hacker to take screenshots of the infotainment system, it would allow someone to see exactly where you’re going and share that info.

But far more concerning is the ability to remotely stop the car, activate the horn, fold the side mirrors, and turn on the wiper blades. But the fact a hacker can take over the steering, possibly putting the Nissan Leaf into another vehicle, a wall, tree, etc. at speed is the most frightening of the security breaches.

PCAutomotive says it hacked into the Nissan through its Bluetooth and DNS C2 Channel. While the tech security firm apparently contacted the automaker about the vulnerabilities, it hasn’t disclosed what Nissan has done about it, if anything.

Perhaps Nissan doesn’t want to put out in the public sensitive information which would help out black hat hackers in the future. Or it might be the automaker is trying to save face by not publicly acknowledging this hack and its implications.

Image via Nissan