After many problems that have hit Tesla in the past, now Elon Musk’s company could find itself in the biggest security problem so far. A young man from Germany claims that he found a weakness that enabled him to control Tesla’s cars from 13 different countries.
19-year-old David Colombo posted on his twitter profile that he used third-party API keys and software to gain access to the vehicles. He claims that car owners, not Tesla software, are to blame for his success. He said that he did not establish control over steering and acceleration, but what he did is still dangerous for car owners.
Small addition (for media reporters):
— David Colombo (@david_colombo_) January 11, 2022
As already stated in some other replies, it is not „full remote control“ as in being able to remotely control steering or acceleration & braking.
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“Regarding what I‘m able to do with these Tesla‘s now. This includes disabling Sentry Mode, opening the doors/windows and even starting Keyless Driving. I could also query the exact location, see if a driver is present and so on. The list is pretty long. I think it’s pretty dangerous, if someone is able to remotely blast music on full volume or open the windows / doors while you are on the highway. Even flashing the lights non-stop can potentially have some (dangerous) impact on other drivers, “Colombo said.
He confirmed that Tesla had already contacted him, and that the company was investigating the case. He also said that he never had bad intentions and that his posts confirm that.
Source: Bloomberg News