A group of students was able to successfully hack a Tesla Model S vehicle during a competition at the SyScan Conference held in Beijing last week.
The team of students who hacked the car go by the name of “Yo” and from Zhejiang University in China. By exposing several design flaws, they managed to remotely control the car’s locks, sound the horn, switch on the headlights as well as open the sunroof and car doors – while it was in motion.
The team was not able to complete the exact specifications of the competition in the allotted time frame, which required them to gain access to the Tesla car’s engine and doors. This prevented them from winning the full $10,000 USD prize money that was offered. The team’s success did, however, earn them about $1,800 CAD.
Despite having no sponsorship or involvement in the competition, Tesla’s response to being the subject of this competition has been positive. The automaker has released a recent statement, saying that they support the idea of an environment where responsible security researchers can identify potential vulnerabilities. They also noted that they hope the researchers will act responsibly and in good faith.
Despite having no obligation to do so, the competition organizers say they have reported the vulnerabilities in the vehicle to Tesla.
The competition follows an announcement made by Elon Musk, Tesla’s CEO, that the company’s patents would be open source, meaning that other automakers, such as BMW, can access to Tesla’s technology. This was done in an effort to deal with climate change and encourage other car producers to pitch in.
