81–90 of 102 posts
Fun fact: Nissan Connect, which allows you to track, start, stop, lock, unlock, trigger horn, and toggle headlights is also massively insecure. In order to gain control of a Nissan Connect-enabled car, you need to know the VIN of the car and the name of the person to whom it is registered. Most of the time those details can be found on the internet, but if you're reasonably motivated you can find the VIN visible on a…
https://www.ford.com/help/privacy/
"Performing a Master Reset returns the vehicle’s modem to the factory settings and removes any imported personal data like cellular phone contact lists, names of paired devices and/or connected networks. Master Reset also disconnects modem-equipped vehicles from any FordPass / Lincoln Way accounts. See 4 above. Deleting the FordPass/Lincoln Way app from your device will not disable data sharing.
PEFORM A MASTER RESET:
BEFORE SELLING OR TRANSFERRING OWNERSHIP
AFTER PURCHASING OR LEASING A PRE-OWNED VEHICLE
BEFORE AND AFTER RENTING A VEHICLE FROM A RENTAL COMPANY "
The issue here isn't that this guy can see and control the the vehicle without the next owner knowing. It's that the entire corporate world and government can see and control the vehicle without the next owner knowing. This is increasingly true across the board, regardless of trim level. I was excited about Rivian as a family friendly electric vehicle. Then they decided to add Alexa (due to an investment by Amazon) a…
"We also share personal information with... Law Enforcement Agencies, Courts, Regulatory Agencies, and Others. We will [disclose] personal information when we believe that doing so is necessary to... comply with applicable law or respond to valid legal process, including from law enforcement or other government agencies"
That's pretty vague, and inadequate. Basically they will let the cops snoop on you if they say "please"; don't bother getting a warrant first.
somewhat off-topic, but if you'd like a hardware hack to disable the perpetual vehicle tracking in most modern cars, its actually a component of OnStar in GM vehicles. BMW Assist and others are patterned off the same technology as it all comes off the boat as a single embedded package from China. Its a cellular modem with a header for your OBD and ECM and data line for your info-tainment. its NOT built into the info-…
somewhat off-topic, but if you'd like a hardware hack to disable the perpetual vehicle tracking in most modern cars, its actually a component of OnStar in GM vehicles. BMW Assist and others are patterned off the same technology as it all comes off the boat as a single embedded package from China. Its a cellular modem with a header for your OBD and ECM and data line for your info-tainment. its NOT built into the info-…
In your opinion, is this worth doing even if you never signed up, activated, or signed any agreements with respect to on-star?
BMW is also massively insecure. My "secret token" I had to enter on my phone to link it with the car was the VIN number. That number is physically stamped into the engine block and chassis so obviously cannot be changed, even after I sell the car. I also suspect these numbers are sequential. Till this car is scrapped I will be able to locate it, turn on the AC, unlock the doors etc.
I'm curious, would it be possible for a malicious person to create a bunch of VMs running the app and brute force VINs to get access to thousands of vehicles and do things all at the same time? As it is, it already sounds like a theif's dream: no special, suspicious tools required: just a burner phone with an app, walk up to a car, enter the VIN, unlock doors, steal stuff.
vinwiki probably has a guide explaining them somewhere if you search
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I have a small piece of black paper over mine. I am happy to let a law enforcement officer view it if they ask.
I thought about doing that, but if someone wants my VIN, they just have to squat down and look at the VIN that's punched in the frame of my truck. I haven't checked other vehicles, but I imagine they also have their VINs punched in the frame where it's easily visible. I don't know if it's against the law to grind that off, but it's probably not against the law to weld a metal plate over it.
My Jeep has added "frame rust protection" from the factory (Canadian-spec) and I've never been able to find a VIN stamped anywhere on the frame. Apparently the coating covered it. It was a pain in the ass crossing borders in Africa when they didn't want to use the VIN at the base on the windshield.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I have a small piece of black paper over mine. I am happy to let a law enforcement officer view it if they ask.
What about parking tickets? Do they just leave the VIN# empty or impound your car?
In fact, so do normal tickets, last I checked. My first job was punching in traffic ticket info for the CHP, and I don't recall ever seeing a VIN; just the LP and DL.
This is in the US, though. Other places might have different information tracked on citations.
Yikes. This is a serious safety issue. Imagine if this wasn’t an EV, and someone started a car while in the new owner’s garage.
Can you start a ICE vehicle remotely? I thought it was mostly a EV thing, some people have aftermarket kits.
They usually have some kind of hardware interlock to make sure the transmission is in park and the hand brake is on.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
What about parking tickets? Do they just leave the VIN# empty or impound your car?
Parking tickets usually go off the license plate, last I checked. In fact, so do normal tickets, last I checked. My first job was punching in traffic ticket info for the CHP, and I don't recall ever seeing a VIN; just the LP and DL. This is in the US, though. Other places might have different information tracked on citations.
