Thursday 25 February 2016

#Nissan Leaf HACKED: #Japanese firm scrambles to fix electric #car security flaw } Mirror

Motoring manufacturer vows to provide "permanent and robust solution" to problem after hacker cracks into car parked in another country

Nissan is rushing to plug a security hole in its electric Leaf vehicles after a hacker managed to attack a car which was parked in another country.

The Japanese firm has shut down an app which controls Leaf cars, after security expert Troy Hunt managed to hack into one of the high-tech motors and take control of its heating system.



This might not sound very scary, but it could allow attackers to remotely run down a car's battery, which could leave its driver stranded.

The attack was made possible due to a flaw in an app called NissanConnect EV, or Carwings, which allowed Hunt to hack into a car parked in Canada while he was in Norway.

Nissan has now shut down the app as it fixes the flaw, as well as admitting its electric van, the eNV200, is affected.

"A Nissan investigation that found the dedicated server for the app had an issue that enabled the temperature control and other telematics functions to be accessible via a non-secure route," it said in a statement .

"No other critical driving elements of the Nissan Leaf or eNV200 are affected, and our 200,000-plus LEAF and eNV200 drivers across the world can continue to use their cars safely and with total confidence.

"We apologise for the disappointment caused to our Nissan Leaf and eNV200 customers who have enjoyed the benefits of our mobile apps. However, the quality and seamless operation of our products is paramount.

Last year, hackers successfully rook control of a Jeep Cherokee and crashed it into a ditch by remotely breaking into its dashboard computer from 10 miles away.

No comments:

Post a Comment