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Internet-connected cars fail privacy and security tests conducted by Mozilla

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Re: Internet-connected cars fail privacy and security tests conducted by Mozilla

#251

Oven been thinking of getting a pickup truck from the 90s and just keep replacing the engine and transmission if needed. I’m just wondering about the safety.

Having lived through the 90s, I can say it wasn't that unsafe.

Re: Internet-connected cars fail privacy and security tests conducted by Mozilla

#252
post #165

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Might depend on the wording of the law and how that system is tied into the rest of the car. For example in the states, it is illegal to tamper with any part of the emissions control system on your car. This is mostly about making sure emissions testing via OBD II can’t be gamed, but it also would target modifications like “rolling coal” or turbos and superchargers that allow user controlled fuel mapping. But in the…

it is illegal to tamper with any part of the emissions control system on your car. Can you cite the law? I know the EPA has civilly pursues companies that make products that bypass emission controls. But haven’t seen or heard anything that goes as fat as you suggest. E.g.: https://www.dinancars.com/products/software-tuning/engine-tu... This allows you to change the engine programming on a BMW. They do note it is not…

The EPA has a document here https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2020-12/documents/ta...

With a relevant paragraph on page 2

The site you linked mentions the carve out that the EPA has, but note that it requires both retaining or beating original behavior and requires extensive prod of that fact. A similar law affecting phone home circuits would almost certainly not find disabling the ability to phone home as in compliance.

Re: Internet-connected cars fail privacy and security tests conducted by Mozilla

#253

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

There's a gigantic difference. You stare at a handheld device when typing. When you're driving you need to feel what you're touching, otherwise you have to take your eyes off the road.

Actually...

I don't stare at my Unihertz Titan as I'm typing this. I'm looking around me.

Physical button are superior. At least to me obviously.

Re: Internet-connected cars fail privacy and security tests conducted by Mozilla

#254

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know about their markups, but Mazda has been pulling out touchscreens and putting back buttons for audio and climate control purposes. Not sure how far it's made it through their models.

Sadly Mazda doesn’t make any AWD cars, only a crossover. AWD is a requirement for me. I loved a Mazda 2 I previously had and loved the Miata track car I sold when I moved last year. Mazda makes great cars but unfortunately none that meet my base requirements.

[deleted]

Re: Internet-connected cars fail privacy and security tests conducted by Mozilla

#255

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am pretty sure that is (or soon will be) illegal in EU. Car needs to be able to call emergency, if accident is detected.

Wait, new cars in EU are expected to have cellular connectivity?

Yes and no. For eCall the modem will wakeup when crash signal is received, otherwise the chipset is disabled.

For Euro7 it will be necessary by design.

Re: Internet-connected cars fail privacy and security tests conducted by Mozilla

#256
post #2

I've got a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee and I've been searching for where the sim card is for the built in cellular modem so I can rip it out. It astounds me that there aren't more people interested in cutting off the constant telemetry and to be honest it wouldn't surprise me if the car refuses to operate correctly when I do figure out where it's at and pull it.

Check out the manual, find where the fuse is for the cellular modem, and remove it.

There's more than a fair chance that the modem is built into or fused along with the entertainment systems.

Re: Internet-connected cars fail privacy and security tests conducted by Mozilla

#257
The problem when you don't have competitive markets is that companies collude to use their oligopoly power and start exploiting people instead of making products for them. It's socially destructive because without privacy and moral context, all that is left is nihilism. Without privacy for the human exceptions to ideals, who gives a fuck if you lie, cheat, drive recklessly, cultivate morbid sexuality, or worse, as you're being monitored the whole time and nobody is doing anything about it, so there are no consequences, and even when there are, they are random. It's the social equivalent to being in a jail. Surveillance has become the most socially destructive force in our society today.

I'm looking at getting a new truck after driving an old wrangler without infotainment or even power windows, and part of that is looking for aftermarket services to disable most of this distracting and dangerous crap. Maybe that's going to be my next product play.

Re: Internet-connected cars fail privacy and security tests conducted by Mozilla

#258
post #2

I've got a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee and I've been searching for where the sim card is for the built in cellular modem so I can rip it out. It astounds me that there aren't more people interested in cutting off the constant telemetry and to be honest it wouldn't surprise me if the car refuses to operate correctly when I do figure out where it's at and pull it.

I feel like if this were happening 20 years ago, common wisdom would develop to buy from a list of model of cars where people had already blazed the path, directions of what the cell modem looks like and how to unplug it, prominent links to a community working on a libre replacement, and majority opinion of this is just what you should do to cope in the modern world. Now with the web community being so diffuse the majority opinion basically seems to be "whatevs". Perhaps if you dug into the right threads on the right manufacturer-specific forum you could find a thread or two with some investigation, but that's about it. It's also essentially impossible to navigate/compare the amenability of different makes to this.

FWIW I've got no actual experience, but given the general slowness with which the car industry moves I would guess the cell modem is just a module hanging off one of the CAN buses, receiving telemetry broadcast by other modules and injecting/interrogating commands when requested (like modern OBD2 ports). I suppose it could also be part of something like the gauge cluster that links different buses as well (at least on Hondas) but with the modular way cars seem to work I'd guess it's not likely.

I'd try to track down a copy of the factory service manual for your model. Those have seem to have gotten pretty thin these days too in favor of computer-based documentation, but it should at least help you work out how things are generally connected. (No point to the readily-available Haynes manual though. Those are apparently garbage)

Re: Internet-connected cars fail privacy and security tests conducted by Mozilla

#259
post #175

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There probably isn't a physical SIM card anymore. It probably just has an eSIM.

In 2018? I doubt car manufacturers can move that fast. Apple didn't implement eSIM until 2018 for the iPhone XS. No way an auto maker has it before consumer electronics maker.

Given the Wikipedia page about eSIM says:

The European Commission selected the eUICC format for its in-vehicle emergency call service, known as eCall, in 2012.[23] All new car models in the EU must have one by 2018 to instantly connect the car to emergency services in case of an accident.[24]

I'd say they have been around since then.

edit: here is a great talk about how eSIMs work from last CCC https://media.ccc.de/v/camp2023-57190-demystifying_esim_tech...

Re: Internet-connected cars fail privacy and security tests conducted by Mozilla

#260

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It shouldn't be expensive to make an I2C smart-switch that allows you to place as many buttons as you want on a single set of 3 wires (or 4 if you want a simpler circuit).

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/CAN_bus Modern cars do it with two wires.

LIN bus also https://www.csselectronics.com/pages/lin-bus-protocol-intro-...
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