By Tamás Pentz, Head of Threat Intelligence, PCA Cyber Security The traditional focus on securing physical tampering in automotive cybersecurity has shifted as connected vehicles become more prevalent This article explores tampering automotive cybersecurity. . For instance, a flaw in an isolated electronic control unit (ECU) may affect one vehicle, while a flaw in a common backend, authentication mechanism, or software component could impact an entire fleet of vehicles across multiple manufacturers.

Similarly, reverse engineering a BYD Dolphin head unit uncovered vulnerabilities including CAN read and write access, an unlocked bootloader, and highly privileged services, as well as flaws in its update mechanisms. Three out of eight attack scenarios succeeded, including stalling diagnostic sessions, concealing stored fault codes, and altering sensor readings.

A detailed teardown of a salvaged telematics unit, published in April’s research, uncovered unencrypted GNSS logs, hardcoded Wi-Fi credentials, a passwordless guest account, and other exposed services. The weakest link is underground breach claims, with credibility varying widely. This year we’ve seen major incidents involving suppliers and overseas subsidiaries, including a Qilin listing centered around a major Japanese Tier-1’s European and North African subsidiaries.

We’ve also seen significant intellectual property exposure, including engineering data from an EV manufacturer leaked through a compromised contract manufacturer, and a ransomware incident affecting a UK vehicle valuation provider, resulting in a regional data blackout for dealers, insurers, and OEMs.