Hackers manage to unlock Tesla software-locked features • Hacker News Board

Re: Hackers manage to unlock Tesla software-locked features

#571

Post by bonestamp2 » Thu, Aug 03, 2023, 10:38 PM UTC

Faaak wrote: post #539

bonestamp2 wrote: post #463

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Be careful though, some automakers are tracking software mods and voiding warranties. Example: https://www.motorbiscuit.com/beware-dodge-challenger-mods-do...

I don't think how that could work with the Magnuson–Moss Warranty Act ?

Good point. There is an exception in that act that allows the warrantor to waive coverage if the damage was caused by the consumer, so I guess Dodge can do it because the software mod in that case is causing the vehicle to perform outside of its design envelope. The warranty only covers manufacturer defects, and forcing the vehicle to do something it's not intended to do is not a defect.

So, I guess these Tesla hacks should be fine so long as they're only enabling things that the vehicle has been designed to do.

Re: Hackers manage to unlock Tesla software-locked features

#572

Post by acer589 » Thu, Aug 03, 2023, 10:38 PM UTC

littlestymaar wrote: post #338

mgiampapa wrote: post #239

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I did the same on a Mazda CX5 a few years back, but it was a software only hack to get root first. I suspect the actual physical hardware modification line is the one that most users are going to be unwilling to cross unless they are in the "Download a Car" crowd.

> I suspect the actual physical hardware modification line is the one that most users are going to be unwilling to cross unless they are in the "Download a Car" crowd. Idk, hardware modification of the first Playstation that allowed to play ripped games became mainstream very quickly in my country (France) and you could even go to some shops that sold Playstations to get it done. It only stopped when it was made open…

Okay, but in that PlayStation example you DIDN'T pay for the games, but still decided to 'do what you want'. How is that legitimate but attempting to prevent it not?

Re: Hackers manage to unlock Tesla software-locked features

#573

Post by hot_gril » Thu, Aug 03, 2023, 10:41 PM UTC

circuit10 wrote: post #567

jimmyk2 wrote: post #564

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I assume it’s all to game the starting MSRP. Like the barebones Tesla 3 that existed on paper but was basically impossible to order. OE’s know most people will spring for that creature comforts.

That reminds me of this video: https://youtu.be/cLGcGnGJvL0 where they say how one of the reasons laptops are getting harder to upgrade is probably so they can make you buy an expensive configuration and still advertise a low starting price

Laptops have real physical limitations involved, similar to smartphones don't have RAM slots, so I don't buy the video. But silly as it is, at least you can "download" heated seats later if you change your mind.

Re: Hackers manage to unlock Tesla software-locked features

#574

Post by acer589 » Thu, Aug 03, 2023, 10:41 PM UTC

d4l3k wrote: post #155

adamgamble wrote: post #147

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I also would like to subscribe to your newsletter.

I've got a blog if you're interested haha https://fn.lc/post/ I've been hacking on my car and creating my own self driving models Code is at https://github.com/d4l3k/torchdrive

Is that legal?

Re: Hackers manage to unlock Tesla software-locked features

#575

Post by kstrauser » Thu, Aug 03, 2023, 10:44 PM UTC

wizofaus wrote: post #550

kstrauser wrote: post #409

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I strong disagree. I'm not talking about making unauthorized copies of the car. I'm just going with the principle that's as old as the whole concept of property: once I buy something, it's mine. If I own a shoe, I can paint it to look different or change its shoelaces. If I own a book, I can tear out the pages and rearrange them. If I own a TV, I can hook anything I want up to it. And if I own a car, I can modify it…

But the carmarker is surely within their rights to refuse to continue servicing your car, or declare that any attempt at modifying the electronics/software potentially makes it unroadworthy. Having said that, I don't entirely understand why Tesla don't keep the software unloaded from the vehicles until the user chooses to purchase the add-on features: compared to everything else the software does, that's not exactly…

That would likely be highly illegal of them, per the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. Unless they could prove that the process of you enabling the confiscated features caused something else to break, they're still on the hook for it.

Re: Hackers manage to unlock Tesla software-locked features

#576

Post by tmpX7dMeXU » Thu, Aug 03, 2023, 10:49 PM UTC

knodi123 wrote: post #391

robterrell wrote: post #359

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is how I got CarPlay on the used BMW I bought. Gave some guy in Thailand my VIN and $60, he sent me firmware to install, and now I drive around with working CarPlay and the vague notion that I've maybe been p0wned in ways I don't fully understand.

When your car idles, it's contributing to his Folding@Home account rank

Simpler times.

Re: Hackers manage to unlock Tesla software-locked features

#577

Post by berniedurfee » Thu, Aug 03, 2023, 10:50 PM UTC

pests wrote: post #538

culi wrote: post #435

Earlier quoted context omitted.

you're joking, but there's a whole genre of "adversarial fashion"[0][1] dedicated to making clothing that spams these sort of public data recognition services. Hoodies with license plates, face masks with weird facial features, etc. Often optimized against actual neural networks too [0] https://adversarialfashion.com/ [1] https://www.capable.design/

Gait detection renders any of this obsolute sadly.

Something something silly walks

Re: Hackers manage to unlock Tesla software-locked features

#578

Post by greenthrow » Thu, Aug 03, 2023, 10:51 PM UTC

nobleach wrote: post #516

robterrell wrote: post #359

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is how I got CarPlay on the used BMW I bought. Gave some guy in Thailand my VIN and $60, he sent me firmware to install, and now I drive around with working CarPlay and the vague notion that I've maybe been p0wned in ways I don't fully understand.

Wait, CarPlay is a "premium" feature on a BMW?

On older models. Current models come with it.

Re: Hackers manage to unlock Tesla software-locked features

#579

Post by sushid » Thu, Aug 03, 2023, 10:51 PM UTC

ajsnigrutin wrote: post #401

This should be "hacked" by the regulator and not by the hackers. If they sold you a car with heated seats (so if the hardware is there), the heated seats should be available for the consumer to use.

How do you feel about CPU/GPU/RAM binning?

Re: Hackers manage to unlock Tesla software-locked features

#580

Post by tmpX7dMeXU » Thu, Aug 03, 2023, 10:52 PM UTC

bonestamp2 wrote: post #473

no_wizard wrote: post #274

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The only hack on cable style TV I remember is you could buy modified satellite authentication cards for DirectTV for a time - usually on eBay or similar sites - and they worked. No idea how long, I had an uncle that had one though, got all the premium channels etc. I doubt any of this works anymore though

I remember being out for a beer run with a friend during these days. On the way there he pulls into a parking lot and stops in front of a nail salon. He said, "Come on" and I followed him into the nail salon. There were about 10 women in there, not a guy in sight... he goes up to the desk and pushes a button that looks like a doorbell. One of the ladies doing the nails says, "He no work here no more, check dry cleane…

That guy’s name? Jimmy McGill.