The tech used here is the popular Flipper Zero, an ethical hacker’s swiss army knife, capable of all sorts of things such as WiFi attacks or emulating NFC tags. Now, 404 Media has found an underground trade where much shadier hackers sell extra software and patches for the Flipper Zero to unlock all manner of cars, including models popular in the U.S. The hackers say the tool can be used against Ford, Audi, Volkswagen, Subaru, Hyundai, Kia, and several other brands, including sometimes dozens of specific vehicle models, with no easy fix from car manufacturers.
If you can hack a car with a flipper zero, then the car manufacturers failed to implement the most basic security protocols. Complain to them, and demand a fix.
Trouble is the move to complete computerization. Back in the day we had physical keys which turned a physical switch to physically connect the power from battery to wake ECU. Now, we have a button that sends a REQUEST to the ECU to turn on or off, and as long as an acceptable transponder is around it will accept the request. If you turn your car off when u hit that stop button it REQUESTS that the ECU shut down assuming conditions are met. I have had a problem 202w wrangler JL turn on fine but refuse to shut off untill you pulled the terminals off the battery. This new age hyper computerized nonsense is why every mechanic hates these new age techno bullshit wanna-be computer appliances on wheels, canbus can be awesome for keeping all modules on the same page but one bad wire and the whole system takes a shit.
Well, Jeep is not really a name for good innovation. They are stuck with a management that still thinks “mechanics” and sees electronics as a pure profit center, not as a gear in the system that has to be as reliable as the rest of it.
Yea I have not been impressed with the Stellantis products of late lol. If I want to own a complicated headache I’ll just buy a bmw or Audi lol (of which I have had both and both have been more dependable and straight forward than these new Chrysler products…)
You didn’t buy the upgraded package the stereo told you about, that’s why: https://www.newsweek.com/stellantis-dodge-car-drivers-adverts-pop-ups-2045033
Give us fucking keys and BUTTONS. We dont want or need this tech shit they want to shove into everything so they can show cancerous growth to ther shareholders.
TBF most of these are failures and exploits on older devices.
Which are a dime a dozen across the entire industry. Security is rather difficult, especially when considering exploits and bugs.
Ofc many of these ARE the results of cut corners, though many are just a lack of security awareness or old devices with known exploits discovered long after manufacturing.
The lack of security awareness is due to them to scrooge to hire the right professionals for the job. It is 100% the result of cutting corners.
When a car is stolen, they typically get to sell another one, courtesy of the drivers insurance policy. They are incentivized to bad security.
Or built for a different market, like 90s Hondas/Nissans etc. which assumed every country was as safe as Japan when it came to car theft. Nowadays its mostly profit driven. Security is not cheap and can add it’s own set of headaches (security vs convenience).
Edit: Nissan still sucked at it from what I remember hearing of those and some kias being the main target near where we lived.