Protecting Your Car from Network Bus Thieves and Hackers

Thieves are using a method of car theft that involves direct access to the vehicle's system bus via a smart headlamp's wiring. By accessing the Controller Area Network (CAN) bus, thieves can introduce bogus messages as if it were from the car's smart key receiver, causing the security system to unlock the vehicle and disable the engine immobilizer, allowing it to be stolen. The thieves can break open a headlamp and use its connection to the bus to send messages, and from that point, they can manipulate other devices to steal the vehicle. As the automotive industry develops ever more sophisticated tech systems for their vehicles, scumbags find more inventive ways to abuse these systems for their own ends.