Other article:
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10042807 (theverge.com)
---
The hack requires the car have an OnBoard Diagnostics (OBD) probe installed.
The specific dongle in question is made by French company Mobile Devices and distributed by a San Francisco insurance startup called Metromile, the latter of which has a partnership with Uber.
After that it's an SMS attack to root the dongle. The dongle lets them into the CAN bus, which is how the Jeep and other cars have been attacked.
“If you put this into a Prius, there are libraries of attacks ready to use online."
---
Think you're safe if you just don't use one of these dongles? You're only as safe as the other cars on the road:
An executive order from the White House in March called for federal agencies with fleets of more than 20 vehicles to use telematics systems whenever possible to improve vehicle efficiencies. That could mean many thousands more government-owned cars and trucks using Internet-connected dongles in the near future.
