A new study from the IMDEA Networks Institute indicate that tire pressure sensors could be the next frontier of vehicle surveillance.
There seems to be no shortage of ways that our personal data can be tracked these days. If your phone, watch, eyeglasses, computer, and car listening to you weren't enough, researchers at the IMDEA Networks Institute just revealed another way that your possessions are tracking you.
Specifically, the Madrid-based think tank's latest report claims that tire pressure monitoring systems are highly vulnerable to hacking—and provide an easy gateway for malicious tracking of your vehicle. There's no denying that TPMS, which has been federally mandated since 2007, is a huge benefit while behind the wheel, but as the institute points out, aging technology renders this safety system less than protective of the driver's data. Each tire sensors possesses a unique ID number that is broadcast in clear, unencrypted wireless signals, which can be picked up by a simple radio receiver and recognized.'Most vehicle tracking today uses cameras that need clear visibility and line-of-sight to a car. TPMS tracking is different: tire sensors automatically send radio signals that pass through walls and vehicles, allowing small hidden wireless receivers to capture them without being seen. Because each sensor broadcasts a fixed unique ID, the same car can be recognized repeatedly without reading a license plate,' the study reads. Unlike camera-based surveillance, tracking a vehicle through its tire sensors doesn't require visual confirmation to ensure the same vehicle is being monitored. This potentially poses a serious security risk, as it would be difficult to tell if and when your vehicle is being tracked. To prove this point, the group of researchers decided to see just how easy it is to tap into the tire sensor by deploying a network of low-cost radio receivers near busy roads and parking areas. Equipment costs for each receiver totaled out to $100. All told, the researchers managed to collect data from six million tire sensors and over 20,000 cars. Worse, the research team was regularly able to match the sensors of all four tires on a car, enhancing the certainty of their surveillance.'As vehicles become increasingly connected, even safety-oriented sensors like TPMS should be designed with security in mind, since data that appears passive and harmless can become a powerful identifier when collected at scale,' says Dr. Alessio Scalingi, former PhD student at IMDEA Networks and now assistant professor at UC3M, Madrid.There are currently no regulations governing the collection or use of TPMS data. Without proper encryption, researchers believe that tire sensors will remain an easy and potentially problematic target. Automotive cybersecurity has faced several new challenges in the past few years, as telemetry data and infotainment systems have both been used against drivers; now it's time to add tire sensors to the ever-growing list of data security concerns.
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