Two Tesla's hacked, stolen – update

Tesla Model S, Supercharger
Credit: Shannons

Security, tracking & monitoring available in the Tesla Model S would seem to make it a bad target for theft. Case in point – a Model S stolen in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada late last year, was able to be tracked & the thief quickly apprehended. And how did the thief gain entry & drive the Model S away? Apparently, a recently purchased electronic key fob was left in the vehicle – a definite no-no in any vehicle with keyless entry.

On 11 June & 02 August, two Teslas were stolen in Germany, & have since been untraceable. It is understood that the thief or thieves were able to breach the owner’s Tesla account, in each case, to gain entry, & take the vehicle away. Whereabouts of the cars remains unknown.

Hacking of Tesla’s Model S is not completely without precedent. Other breaches, have required physical access to the vehicle & apparently achieved less control. Tesla quickly released an update.^1,2,3

One of the attractions of a Tesla Model S is the perception that Tesla’s monitoring of its vehicles makes them virtually theft-proof. Apparently the thieves in Germany disabled this capability. Most likely these thieves wanted the vehicles for parts, most obviously, the battery which is worth tens of thousands of dollars.

This brings up once again the question mark over the security of any internet-connected device. Note too, the suggestion that the hacks were actually against the owners’ Tesla accounts, rather than the vehicles themselves.

http://bgr.com/2016/08/22/tesla-model-s-stolen/

http://cleantechnica.com/2015/11/04/i-could-tell-the-911-operator-was-excited-tesla-owner-about-tracking-stolen-model-s/
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¹ “Tesla Model S hacked”, https://hhg2tech.blogspot.com/2015/08/tesla-model-s-hacked.html

² “Tesla Model S hacked at Beijing symposium”, https://hhg2tech.blogspot.com/2014/07/tesla-model-s-hacked-at-beijing.html

³ “Hacker locates, unlocks GM OnStar-equipped vehicle”, https://hhg2tech.blogspot.com/2015/07/hacker-locates-unlocks-gm-onstar.html / nobody can steal Tesla Model S Model X advanced tracking system thieves try to get away with it easily caught on-board GPS not really the case Tesla cars incredibly valuable thieves do whatever it takes grab one leave no traces behind two such thefts reported in Europe two Tesla owners Germany Tesla Model S cars stolen brand new Tesla Model S P90D August 2nd disappeared on June 11th how it happened owners will ever get them back hackers breach owners’ Tesla accounts use iPhone or Android apps access drive cars away still has the keys to the car jam GPS signal on the cars Model S briefly stolen Vancouver owner direct police location of the car using tracking data from his account how thieves plan to use these stolen Teslas painting the cars over changing plates won’t suffice take advantage Tesla’s features use car’s software Tesla keeps track of what happens with each car able to find these stolen vehicles if they ever reconnect to the system Tesla comment ways retrieve stolen cars prevent similar thefts in the future /