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Thread: Computer Cars(automobiles)

  1. #1
    Senior Member nihil's Avatar
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    Computer Cars(automobiles)

    This one caught my attention

    I know that Austin is a town in Texas, but it also happens to be the name of a long defunct British car (automobile) manufacturer.

    http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/crime/h...-cars-remotely

    The pi$$ed off ex-employee hacked people's autos

    Kinda makes The-Spec look like what he is?

  2. #2
    Disgruntled Postal Worker fourdc's Avatar
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    Makes you want to rush right out and buy one of those General Motors OnStar vehicles.

    The Toyota thing has been driving me nuts. For 100 years of internal combustion engines the pedal and the throttle were connected with a $1 piece of stainless steel cable, worked fine never wore one out, never had sudden vehicular acceleration. Some engineer decides it's time for a $500 mechanical to electrical to software to electrical connection and now we're screwed.

    Some things are best not overengineered.
    ddddc

    "Somehow saying I told you so just doesn't cover it" Will Smith in I, Robot

  3. #3
    AO Curmudgeon rcgreen's Avatar
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    I can't help but think of Mr Bean and his venerable mini.
    I guess the systems this guy hacked are aftermarket
    auto-start and alarm setups. Soon this chit will be standard
    equipment, and <puts on tinfoil hat> Obama will be able
    to stop you on the road for failure to pay your "health care" taxes<takes off hat>

    Time to put new bushings in the front end of my '75 Midget
    and get it back on the road.

    Yeah, Austin merged with Morris, then bought Triumph, became
    BMC, then British Leyland. Then it was so big they decided
    to "break it up into parts". But, <punch line> They were having
    a hard time finding the parts!!! </punch line>
    I came in to the world with nothing. I still have most of it.

  4. #4
    Senior Member nihil's Avatar
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    Actually I think that it "fell apart".............BMW had it for a while but sold a lot off to some new British consortium who have MG and Rover, I think.

    BMW kept the Mini, and you see quite a few new ones around, but I have no idea of where they are made now.

  5. #5
    AO Curmudgeon rcgreen's Avatar
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    When BMW divested itself of Rover in 2000, BMW elected to retain the Mini project, and to move the planned production site of the car from Rover's Longbridge plant, (the former production plant of the traditional Mini) to BMW's Oxford plant in Cowley, Oxford, United Kingdom (what was historically the Pressed Steel Company body plant).
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mini_(BMW)
    I came in to the world with nothing. I still have most of it.

  6. #6
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    yeah saw that in the news.. but why do they say "hacked" , can't even call it social engineering when it was just a case of his boss not changing the password. I'll bet that used car dealer will be sued and held liable..(lost wages, etc) could you imagine if the car shut off while cruising at 70mph on the highway ?

  7. #7
    Senior Member nihil's Avatar
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    but why do they say "hacked" , can't even call it social engineering when it was just a case of his boss not changing the password.
    Not quite:

    While his account had been disabled after he was fired, he'd been using another employee's account to cause the chaos.
    How did he get a hold of that? Social engineering, keylogger, carelessness?

    It is fairly common practice in small outfits to have a common password for common applications and they never think of changing those when someone leaves. It would not be that simple in this case as it is a web based service managed by a third party, so I would expect that one customer has one account and one password for it? More information here:

    http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/201...r-bricks-cars/

    They traced him from his IP, so he must have accessed remotely and been able to log on to the server on which his account had been closed. I am guessing that there is a secure link between the web service supplier and its customers.

    I would expect the court to take the view that this was a malicious criminal act on the part of an individual. I don't know about Texas, but over here an employer would not be held liable for a deliberate and malicious criminal act on the part of an ex-employee, even if their resources were used.

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