14 DAY TRIAL // At the SyScan security conference in Beijing next week, the organizers will offer a $10,000 / €7,350 prize to the hacker who manages to break into the system of a Tesla Model S car.
According to Forbes, the organizers are looking for specific types of attacks that could lead to controlling the car from a computer system or direct the user to certain malware-laden pages in the car’s web browser.
The reason they chose a Tesla is because the company is security-aware and has implemented a vulnerability disclosure program, which has already helped eliminate the more obvious flaws. The company is not involved in the contest in any way.
Among the talks hosted by the conference, there is a presentation from Pk001, a researcher with significant experience in reverse engineering in embedded automotive networks and systems.
The presentation is focused on the methods that can be used to prevent car-hacking by building a security system for the automotive network that relies on the Controller Area Network (CAN) protocol.
CAN is the most popular protocol in the automotive industry. Because it relies on broadcast bus, messages are also sent to the ECU (engine control unit), posing the risk of an attacker to tamper with various functions of the car.