Tag Archive for: Auto

Did The Grand Theft Auto Hacker Do It With An Amazon Fire Stick While Under Police Custody?

/in


An 18-year-old hacker, Arion Kurtaj, a key member of the international cyber-criminal gang Lapsus$, has been sentenced to an indefinite hospital order after leaking clips of the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto 6 (GTA 6). The sentencing, delivered at Southwark Crown Court, sheds light on the extent of the gang’s audacious attacks on tech giants, including Uber, Nvidia, and Rockstar Games, which collectively cost the affected companies nearly $10 million.

Kurtaj, who hails from Oxford and is diagnosed with autism, was deemed unfit to stand trial due to the severity of his condition. The court heard that despite being under police protection at a Travelodge hotel, he managed to breach Rockstar Games, the developers behind GTA, using unconventional methods.

While on bail for hacking Nvidia and BT/EE, Kurtaj reportedly continued his cyber activities. Using an Amazon Fire TV Stick, he allegedly mirrored his smartphone’s display to the hotel TV, transforming it into a makeshift monitor. Connecting a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse to his smartphone, he exploited the device’s “desktop mode” (DeX) capabilities, essentially turning it into a Linux computer. The Fire TV Stick, in this context, acted as a wireless HDMI cable via Miracast.

Kurtaj’s actions resulted in the theft of 90 clips of the unreleased GTA 6, which he later posted, along with the source code, on a forum under the username “TeaPotUberHacker.” The hack reportedly cost Rockstar Games $5 million to recover from, in addition to thousands of hours of staff time.

In sentencing hearings, Kurtaj’s defense argued that the success of the GTA 6 trailer, released earlier this month and amassing 128 million views on YouTube in just four days, indicated minimal harm caused by the hack. However, the judge emphasized the real victims and harm caused by Kurtaj’s multiple cyberattacks, not only on corporations, but also on individuals.

The trial also saw…

Source…

Auto dealers are prime targets for hackers, warn researchers

/in


Car dealerships are prime targets for hackers eager to exploit weak security and access a treasure trove of financial data and gain access to third-party vendor supply chains.

According to Tuesday report posted to AT&T Cybersecurity’s blog, cybercriminals are zeroing in on car dealerships considering them easy targets for a cyberattack. Attack vectors include, “outdated IT infrastructure and lacks sufficient processes in terms of protecting employee login details,” according the report.

Adding to the mix of security issues is the increasingly sophisticated number of computer-based diagnostic tools used in auto repair bays and computer systems in car dealer back offices. That has adversaries revving their hacker engines ready to attack, said Theresa Lanowitz, head of cybersecurity evangelism at AT&T Business.

“Employees in a car dealership may have lax security hygiene which means it’s even easier for adversaries to launch attacks. And car dealerships have repair bays with internet connected devices. These devices, if breached, also offer an adversary a way into the network to potentially execute nefarious activities,” Lanowitz said.

Those attack surface weak spots are low-hanging fruit for attackers to easily plant malware, eavesdrop on insecure Wi-Fi connections or exploit poor password hygiene.

No such thing as cybersecurity airbags

The danger is not theoretical for dealerships or vendors connected to dealerships who could also be put at greater risk. In a separate report out this week, researcher Eaton Zveare detailed a severe vulnerability he found in the web portal of Toyota’s global supplier management network.

“I hacked Toyota’s Global Supplier Preparation Information Management System,” Zveare wrote.” The system in question is “a web app used by Toyota employees and their suppliers to coordinate projects, parts, surveys, purchases, and other tasks related to the global Toyota supply chain.”

The research, conducted in 2022 and disclosed this week, allowed the researcher to access 14,000 corporate user accounts and confidential documents. The issue was responsibly disclosed to Toyota and the security hole was mitigated immediately.

FTC tackles dealership security and…

Source…

Early Grand Theft Auto 6 footage may have just leaked

/in


Rockstar Games appears to be the victim of a massive security breach, as a hacker reportedly stole at least 90 video clips from the company showing off an early build of Grand Theft Auto 6.

The clips appear to have surfaced online late on Saturday night on GTAForums, a message board dedicated to the Grand Theft Auto series. A user named “teapotuberhacker” posted a folder containing 90 video clips, noting that the link contained “GTA 5 and 6 source code and assets, GTA 6 testing build.” The hacker notes that they may “leak more data soon,” indicating that this could just be the beginning of a much longer leak.

While fans have spent the hours since the leak debating the authenticity of the clips, reports indicate that they are legitimate. Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier notes that Rockstar sources confirmed the leak. “Not that there was much doubt, but I’ve confirmed with Rockstar sources that this weekend’s massive Grand Theft Auto VI leak is indeed real,” Schreier tweets. “The footage is early and unfinished, of course. This is one of the biggest leaks in video game history and a nightmare for Rockstar Games.”

Not that there was much doubt, but I’ve confirmed with Rockstar sources that this weekend’s massive Grand Theft Auto VI leak is indeed real. The footage is early and unfinished, of course. This is one of the biggest leaks in video game history and a nightmare for Rockstar Games

— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) September 18, 2022

Considering the quality of the clips, their authenticity wouldn’t be surprising. The 90 videos show off several aspects of the open-world crime game, including armed robberies. While the visuals still look early, some of the videos include full voice acting. They also feature both a male and female protagonist, which backs up a Bloomberg report from July. Most notably, code and debug tools appear on top of the clips. While Schreier’s sources indicate the videos are real, Rockstar itself still hasn’t made an official statement and the videos have yet to be scrubbed from the internet.

A leak of this scale would be somewhat unprecedented for the highly secretive video game industry. While small leaks are somewhat…

Source…

AUTO Connected Car News’ Connected Car History and Timeline

/in


We at AUTO Connected Car News are fortunate to see the history of connected cars in action. It all started with the desire to help save lives and has grown into making many valuable connections for drivers and automakers.

AUTO Connected Car News’ History of Connected Cars

In the late 1990’s cars began to be connected wirelessly to other sources primarily for safety. At first cars were equipped with cellular connections for emergency notifications. Starting in the new millennium connections increased for safety, convenience, remote features and ultimately connecting to smartphones. In this decade starting in 2010, increased connectivity opened up opportunities for advanced safety driving features, parking/summon apps, self-driving, remote functions, and vulnerabilities for hackers.

The Early Years, The Late 1990’s

In the early years of telematics’ connected car services, the features were primarily for notifications of crashes to emergency responders, locating the vehicle and roadside assistance.

1996 The analog cellular OnStar system was announced. When air bags deploy, they system connects to an OnStar Advisor who relays the information to emergency responders.

1997 Mercedes-Benz introduced the first wireless key fob, called, Key-less Go” for the 1998 W220 S Class.

1997 BMW launched BMW Assist telematics services.

1998 GM improved the OnStar service with factory installed models that allow for hands -free calling and voice recognition.

1999 Mercedes-Benz launches Tele Aid telematics program with emergency response roadside assistance and locating of stolen vehicles.

The 2000’s

In this decade services that are launched include diagnostics, advanced navigation, web connections, stolen vehicle slow-down and smartphone apps with limited remote features.

2000 TeleAid on the Mercedes-Benz model S features remote door unlock.

2001 OnStar began providing real-time traffic information and remote door unlock with its fourth generation with close to 8 million interactions.

2001 Remote diagnostics hardware for autos launched by Continental.

2003 OnStar GM Goodwrench remote diagnostic service becomes available.

2003 Continental offers devices for vehicle health and…

Source…