Lenders Can Now Disable Your Car When You’re Driving on the Freeway by Cliff Weathers.
From the post:
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The New York Times recently reported that about 2 million cars are now outfitted with such kill switches in the U.S., which is about one-quarter of subprime car loans, and creditors are not shy when it comes to remotely disabling cars whose owners are behind on their payments:“Some borrowers say their cars were disabled when they were only a few days behind on their payments, leaving them stranded in dangerous neighborhoods. Others said their cars were shut down while idling at stoplights. Some described how they could not take their children to school or to doctor’s appointments. One woman in Nevada said her car was shut down while she was driving on the freeway.
“Beyond the ability to disable a vehicle, the devices have tracking capabilities that allow lenders and others to know the movements of borrowers, a major concern for privacy advocates. And the warnings the devices emit — beeps that become more persistent as the due date for the loan payment approaches — are seen by some borrowers as more degrading than helpful.”
Subprime automotive-loan borrowers, those with FICO credit scores below 660, debt-to-income ratios of more than 50% or a bankruptcy in the past 60 months, are a growing segment of automotive borrowers. This phenomenon has been buoyed by auto dealers trying to continue a strong sales rebound after years of weak sales and by securities investors who buy bonds backed by those loans and see them as a way to get ample returns when other interest rates remain low.
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Hacking automobiles isn’t a new idea. (Rootkit for an Automobile Near You) But building automobiles for remote control by others? Of course we all trust our well-meaning government with such powers (NOT!) but what do you do when the disabling device becomes as common as seat belts?
Not that I think you will be able to stop this trend but you may want to start or invest in “dark car” services. That is services that replace/remove and/or disable systems that make your car hackable or subject to control by others.
Automobile privacy will become a luxury of the well to do and selling privacy may be your ticket to joining that class.
PS: Here’s an idea for a Dark Hat conference contest. Have a car hacking offense and defense contest on a car with all the usual features and a kill switch.