Today I learned that nearly every modern car has four tire pressure sensors that broadcast a unique ID in clear text, so a basic Raspberry Pi scanner can track when your car is nearby.
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Holy shit, I knew this felt familiar.
Reijo Pitkänen (@reijomancer@defcon.social)
While filling up my tires, I thought to myself, "Wouldn't it be funny if you could track people with their TPMS noise? It's probably not obfuscated or rotated in any way like Bluetooth or MAC addresses, and everything with tires after 2008 has four to 12 of these things constantly broadcasting some sort of ID in addition to it's environmental data." Once again, some had to have written a Flipper zero app for this, right? Alternative use: automatic gate opener or a presence sensor for a vehicle or trailer.
DEF CON Social (defcon.social)
The #VW ID.4 does not have TPMS sensors. It calculates tire pressure by measuring tire rotation. It is connected to the cellular data network independent of your phone.
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Today I learned that nearly every modern car has four tire pressure sensors that broadcast a unique ID in clear text, so a basic Raspberry Pi scanner can track when your car is nearby.
Your car’s tire sensors could be used to track you - IMDEA Networks
Researchers at IMDEA Networks Institute, together with European partners, have found that tire pressure sensors in modern cars can unintentionally expose drivers to tracking. Over a ten-week study, they collected signals from more than 20,000 vehicles, revealing a hidden privacy risk and highlighting the need for stronger security measures in future vehicle sensor systems. Most...
IMDEA Networks (networks.imdea.org)
@mikesax there's also usually a plate of numbers on the front and back of the car, visible by plain sight, that can be and is being used for tracking -
@mikesax there's also usually a plate of numbers on the front and back of the car, visible by plain sight, that can be and is being used for tracking
nowadays you can also expect surveillance cameras to do not only that but also feeding that into AI
@mira @mikesax@mas.to
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Today I learned that nearly every modern car has four tire pressure sensors that broadcast a unique ID in clear text, so a basic Raspberry Pi scanner can track when your car is nearby.
Your car’s tire sensors could be used to track you - IMDEA Networks
Researchers at IMDEA Networks Institute, together with European partners, have found that tire pressure sensors in modern cars can unintentionally expose drivers to tracking. Over a ten-week study, they collected signals from more than 20,000 vehicles, revealing a hidden privacy risk and highlighting the need for stronger security measures in future vehicle sensor systems. Most...
IMDEA Networks (networks.imdea.org)
@mikesax Well, that's interesting..
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The #VW ID.4 does not have TPMS sensors. It calculates tire pressure by measuring tire rotation. It is connected to the cellular data network independent of your phone.
@Stinson_108 @reijomancer That's... Even worse.
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@dryak @lackthereof @wwahammy You have to get the IDs first in order to track the cars. TPMS devices are part of the tyre valve and its easy to just swap them out. Just changing the wheels does that. So its not reliable tracking. One of the standard functions of a decent code reader is updating pairing the TPMS devices to the car. I’ve never worried about them because I usually have my phone in the car and they can track that if they want!
@cyberspice @dryak @lackthereof @wwahammy "Just" change all 4 tyres... Really? That's your answer?
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@mikesax Love it. Public transport users have been tracked everywhere they go for decades. Time to track these cars wherever they go. See how they like it.
@elricofmelnibone @mikesax Cars had numberplates long before phone-based tickets became a thing.
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Today I learned that nearly every modern car has four tire pressure sensors that broadcast a unique ID in clear text, so a basic Raspberry Pi scanner can track when your car is nearby.
Your car’s tire sensors could be used to track you - IMDEA Networks
Researchers at IMDEA Networks Institute, together with European partners, have found that tire pressure sensors in modern cars can unintentionally expose drivers to tracking. Over a ten-week study, they collected signals from more than 20,000 vehicles, revealing a hidden privacy risk and highlighting the need for stronger security measures in future vehicle sensor systems. Most...
IMDEA Networks (networks.imdea.org)
@mikesax it’s like these sensor providers are making vehicles easier to surveil by not designing with security in mind.
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@mikesax Every single part of modern cars is a privacy/security nightmare.
@nazokiyoubinbou @mikesax That is why I stick to my 15 years old car. No emitting wireless components. Not even bluetooth radio. Suspension broke once, which was my own fault. That's all. According to the opinion of my trusted mechanics, all modern cars are crap and also a nightmare to maintain.
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@cyberspice @dryak @lackthereof @wwahammy "Just" change all 4 tyres... Really? That's your answer?
@Dss @cyberspice @lackthereof @wwahammy
Cyberspice mentions "Just swap them out" about "tire *valve*" (e.g. buy a new set of valves with better security in the firmware).Regarding swapping the 4 wheels: given some countries do this twice a year (mar/oct) to adapt to weather conditions, an evil ploy to track some car with tire IDs will answer back with a position staying permanently in the cellar for 6 months.
And again, if you're afraid of cars getting tracked, there are bigger targets.
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@mikesax some phones also broadcast a unique WiFi MAC address that anyone could use to track you (some phones rotate random MAC addresses for this reason; only governments telecoms, and big tech should be able to track you). I think most phones periodically broadcast the SSIDs you normally connect to, so anyone could record those, go to wigle.net and try to figure out where you live and work.
