A team of hackers identified various vulnerabilities that allowed them to hack into a Tesla vehicle, earning a reward of over $100,000 for their efforts.
In recent years, Tesla has invested heavily in cybersecurity and has worked closely with whitehat hackers. The company has also participated in the Pwn2Own hacking competition, offering significant prizes and its electric vehicles to hacking challengers.
This strategy has been successful in enabling Tesla to address numerous vulnerabilities in its systems before they can be exploited by malicious individuals.
The Pwn2Own event in Tokyo this week is focused exclusively on the automotive industry, with hackers primarily targeting Tesla’s infotainment system and EV charging stations.
The Zero Day Initiative confirmed that a team of hackers managed to exploit Tesla’s infotainment system by chaining bugs.
One dominant group in Tesla hacking, Synacktiv, won a $100,000 prize for hacking a Tesla last year and demonstrated another successful attack on the Tesla modem this year.
In total, the team has won $450,000 in prizes at the first Pwn2Own automotive event. Additionally, several hackers gained control of various charging stations.
Electrek’s Take
As vehicles become more connected, there is a growing concern about hacking becoming a problem in automobiles. Initiatives like this help automakers stay ahead of potential security threats. Tesla also operates its bug report program, open to whitehat hackers with generous rewards.
We provided an in-depth analysis of Tesla’s cybersecurity efforts in our report on “The Big Tesla Hack,” when a hacker gained control over Tesla’s entire fleet.
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