A Deep Dive into Automotive Cybersecurity
Overview:
‘Kia Connect’ is the application that is used to connect ‘Kia’ cars which allows the user control various parameters of the vehicle through the application on his/her smartphone. The vulnerabilities found in most Kias built after 2013 with but little exception. Most of the risks are derived from a flawed API that deals with dealer relations and vehicle coordination.
Technical Breakdown of Exploitation:
- API Exploitation: The attack uses the vulnerabilities in Kia’s dealership network. The researchers also noticed that, for example, the logs generated while impersonating a dealer and registering on the Kia dealer portal would be sufficient for deriving access tokens needed for next steps.
- Accessing Vehicle Information: The license plate number allowed the attackers to get the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) number of their preferred car. This VIN can then be used to look up more information about the car and is an essential number to determine for the shared car.
- Information Retrieval: Having the VIN number in hand, attackers can launch a number of requests to backends to pull more sensitive information about the car owner, including:
- Name
- Email address
- Phone number
- Geographical address
- Modifying Account Access: With this information, attackers could change the accounts settings to make them a second user on the car, thus being hidden from the actual owner of the account.
- Executing Remote Commands: Once again, it was discovered that attackers could remotely execute different commands on the vehicle, which includes:some text
- Unlocking doors
- Starting the engine
- Monitoring the location of the vehicle in terms of position.
- Honking the horn
Technical Execution:
The researchers demonstrated that an attacker could execute a series of four requests to gain control over a Kia vehicle:
- Generate Dealer Token: The attacker sends an HTTP request in order to create a dealer token.
- Retrieve Owner Information: As indicated using the generated token, they make another request to another endpoint that returns the owner’s email address and phone number.
- Modify Access Permissions: The attacker takes advantage of the leaked information (email address and VIN) of the owner to change between users accounts and make himself the second user.
- Execute Commands: As the last one, they can send commands to perform actions on the operated vehicle.
Security Response and Precautionary Measures for Vehicle Owners
- Regular Software Updates: Car owners must make sure their cars receive updates on the recent software updates provided by auto producers.
- Use Strong Passwords: The owners of Kia Connect accounts should develop specific and complex passwords for their accounts and then update them periodically. They should avoid using numbers like the birth dates, vehicle numbers and simple passwords.
- Enable Multi-Factor Authentication: For security, vehicle owners should turn on the use of the secondary authentication when it is available to protect against unauthorized access to an account.
- Limit Personal Information Sharing: Owners of vehicles should be careful with the details that are connected with the account on their car, like the e-mail or telephone number, sharing them on social networks, for example.
- Monitor Account Activity: It is also important to monitor the account activity because of change or access attempts that are unauthorized. In case of any abnormality or anything suspicious felt while using the car, report it to Kia customer support.
- Educate Yourself on Vehicle Security: Being aware of cyber threats that are connected to vehicles and learning about how to safeguard a vehicle from such threats.
- Consider Disabling Remote Features When Not Needed: If remote features are not needed, then it is better to turn them off, and then turn them on again when needed. This can prove to help diminish the attack vector for would-be hackers.
Industry Implications:
The findings from this research underscore broader issues within automotive cybersecurity:
- Web Security Gaps: Most car manufacturers pay more attention to equipment running in automobiles instead of the safety of the websites that the car uses to operate thereby exposing automobiles that are connected very much to risks.
- Continued Risks: Vehicles become increasingly connected to internet technologies. Auto makers will have to carry cyber security measures in their cars in the future.
Conclusion:
The weaknesses found in Kia’s connected car system are a key concern for Automotive security. Since cars need web connections for core services, suppliers also face the problem of risks and need to create effective safeguards. Kia took immediate actions to tighten the safety after disclosure; however, new threats will emerge as this is a dynamic domain involving connected technology. With growing awareness of these risks, it is now important for car makers not only to put in proper security measures but also to maintain customer communication on how it safeguards their information and cars against cyber dangers. That being an incredibly rapid approach to advancements in automotive technology, the key to its safety is in our capacity to shield it from ever-present cyber threats.
Reference:
- https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/auto/cars/hackers-could-unlock-your-kia-car-with-just-a-license-plate-is-yours-safe/articleshow/113837543.cms
- https://www.thedrive.com/news/hackers-found-millions-of-kias-could-be-tracked-controlled-with-just-a-plate-number
- https://www.securityweek.com/millions-of-kia-cars-were-vulnerable-to-remote-hacking-researchers/
- https://news24online.com/auto/kia-vehicles-hack-connected-car-cybersecurity-threat/346248/
- https://www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/2024/09/millions-of-kia-vehicles-were-vulnerable-to-remote-attacks-with-just-a-license-plate-number
- https://informationsecuritybuzz.com/kia-vulnerability-enables-remote-acces/
- https://samcurry.net/hacking-kia
Related Blogs
Introduction
Generative AI models are significant consumers of computational resources and energy required for training and running models. While AI is being hailed as a game-changer, however underneath the shiny exterior, cracks are present which significantly raises concerns for its environmental impact. The development, maintenance, and disposal of AI technology all come with a large carbon footprint. The energy consumption of AI models, particularly large-scale models or image generation systems, these models rely on data centers powered by electricity, often from non-renewable sources, which exacerbates environmental concerns and contributes to substantial carbon emissions.
As AI adoption grows, improving energy efficiency becomes essential. Optimising algorithms, reducing model complexity, and using more efficient hardware can lower the energy footprint of AI systems. Additionally, transitioning to renewable energy sources for data centers can help mitigate their environmental impact. There is a growing need for sustainable AI development, where environmental considerations are integral to model design and deployment.
A breakdown of how generative AI contributes to environmental risks and the pressing need for energy efficiency:
- Gen AI during the training phase has high power consumption, when vast amounts of computational power which is often utilising extensive GPU clusters for weeks or at times even months, consumes a substantial amount of electricity. Post this phase, the inference phase where the deployment of these models takes place for real-time inference, can be energy-extensive especially when we take into account the millions of users of Gen AI.
- The main source of energy used for training and deploying AI models often comes from non-renewable sources which then contribute to the carbon footprint. The data centers where the computations for Gen AI take place are a significant source of carbon emissions if they rely on the use of fossil fuels for their energy needs for the training and deployment of the models. According to a study by MIT, training an AI can produce emissions that are equivalent to around 300 round-trip flights between New York and San Francisco. According to a report by Goldman Sachs, Data Companies will use 8% of US power by 2030, compared to 3% in 2022 as their energy demand grows by 160%.
- The production and disposal of hardware (GPUs, servers) necessary for AI contribute to environmental degradation. Mining for raw materials and disposing of electronic waste (e-waste) are additional environmental concerns. E-waste contains hazardous chemicals, including lead, mercury, and cadmium, that can contaminate soil and water supplies and endanger both human health and the environment.
Efforts by the Industry to reduce the environmental risk posed by Gen AI
There are a few examples of how companies are making efforts to reduce their carbon footprint, reduce energy consumption and overall be more environmentally friendly in the long run. Some of the efforts are as under:
- Google's TPUs in particular the Google Tensor are designed specifically for machine learning tasks and offer a higher performance-per-watt ratio compared to traditional GPUs, leading to more efficient AI computations during the shorter periods requiring peak consumption.
- Researchers at Microsoft, for instance, have developed a so-called “1 bit” architecture that can make LLMs 10 times more energy efficient than the current leading system. This system simplifies the models’ calculations by reducing the values to 0 or 1, slashing power consumption but without sacrificing its performance.
- OpenAI has been working on optimizing the efficiency of its models and exploring ways to reduce the environmental impact of AI and using renewable energy as much as possible including the research into more efficient training methods and model architectures.
Policy Recommendations
We advocate for the sustainable product development process and press the need for Energy Efficiency in AI Models to counter the environmental impact that they have. These improvements would not only be better for the environment but also contribute to the greater and sustainable development of Gen AI. Some suggestions are as follows:
- AI needs to adopt a Climate justice framework which has been informed by a diverse context and perspectives while working in tandem with the UN’s (Sustainable Development Goals) SDGs.
- Working and developing more efficient algorithms that would require less computational power for both training and inference can reduce energy consumption. Designing more energy-efficient hardware, such as specialized AI accelerators and next-generation GPUs, can help mitigate the environmental impact.
- Transitioning to renewable energy sources (solar, wind, hydro) can significantly reduce the carbon footprint associated with AI. The World Economic Forum (WEF) projects that by 2050, the total amount of e-waste generated will have surpassed 120 million metric tonnes.
- Employing techniques like model compression, which reduces the size of AI models without sacrificing performance, can lead to less energy-intensive computations. Optimized models are faster and require less hardware, thus consuming less energy.
- Implementing scattered learning approaches, where models are trained across decentralized devices rather than centralized data centers, can lead to a better distribution of energy load evenly and reduce the overall environmental impact.
- Enhancing the energy efficiency of data centers through better cooling systems, improved energy management practices, and the use of AI for optimizing data center operations can contribute to reduced energy consumption.
Final Words
The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are crucial for the AI industry just as other industries as they guide responsible innovation. Aligning AI development with the SDGs will ensure ethical practices, promoting sustainability, equity, and inclusivity. This alignment fosters global trust in AI technologies, encourages investment, and drives solutions to pressing global challenges, such as poverty, education, and climate change, ultimately creating a positive impact on society and the environment. The current state of AI is that it is essentially utilizing enormous power and producing a product not efficiently utilizing the power it gets. AI and its derivatives are stressing the environment in such a manner which if it continues will affect the clean water resources and other non-renewable power generation sources which contributed to the huge carbon footprint of the AI industry as a whole.
References
- https://cio.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/artificial-intelligence/ais-hunger-for-power-can-be-tamed/111302991
- https://earth.org/the-green-dilemma-can-ai-fulfil-its-potential-without-harming-the-environment/
- https://www.technologyreview.com/2019/06/06/239031/training-a-single-ai-model-can-emit-as-much-carbon-as-five-cars-in-their-lifetimes/
- https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ais-climate-impact-goes-beyond-its-emissions/
- https://insights.grcglobalgroup.com/the-environmental-impact-of-ai/
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Introduction
YouTube is testing a new feature called ‘Notes,’ which allows users to add community-sourced context to videos. The feature allows users to clarify if a video is a parody or if it is misrepresenting information. The feature builds on existing features to provide helpful content alongside videos. Currently under testing, the feature will be available to a limited number of eligible contributors who will be invited to write notes on videos. These notes will appear publicly under a video if they are found to be broadly helpful. Viewers will be able to rate notes into three categories: ‘Helpful,’ ‘Somewhat helpful,’ or ‘Unhelpful’. Based on the ratings, YouTube will determine which notes are published. The feature will first be rolled out on mobile devices in the U.S. in English. The Google-owned platform will look at ways to improve the feature over time, including whether it makes sense to expand it to other markets.
YouTube To Roll Out The New ‘Notes’ Feature
YouTube is testing an experimental feature that allows users to add notes to provide relevant, timely, and easy-to-understand context for videos. This initiative builds on previous products that display helpful information alongside videos, such as information panels and disclosure requirements when content is altered or synthetic. YouTube in its blog clarified that the pilot will be available on mobiles in the U.S. and in the English language, to start with. During this test phase, viewers, participants, and creators are invited to give feedback on the quality of the notes.
YouTube further stated in its blog that a limited number of eligible contributors will be invited via email or Creator Studio notifications to write notes so that they can test the feature and add value to the system before the organisation decides on next steps and whether or not to expand the feature. Eligibility criteria include having an active YouTube channel in good standing with Yotube’s Community Guidelines.
Viewers in the U.S. will start seeing notes on videos in the coming weeks and months. In this initial pilot, third-party evaluators will rate the helpfulness of notes, which will help train the platform’s systems. As the pilot moves forward, contributors themselves will rate notes as well.
Notes will appear publicly under a video if they are found to be broadly helpful. People will be asked whether they think a note is helpful, somewhat helpful, or unhelpful and the reasons for the same. For example, if a note is marked as ‘Helpful,’ the evaluator will have the opportunity to specify if it is so because it cites high-quality sources or is written clearly and neutrally. A bridging-based algorithm will be used to consider these ratings and determine what notes are published. YouTube is excited to explore new ways to make context-setting even more relevant, dynamic, and unique to the videos we are watching, at scale, across the huge variety of content on YouTube.
CyberPeace Analysis: How Can Notes Help Counter Misinformation
The potential effectiveness of countering misinformation on YouTube using the proposed ‘Notes’ feature is significant. Enabling contributors to include notes on videos can offer relevant and accurate context to clarify any misleading or false information in the video. These notes can aid in enhancing viewers' comprehension of the content and detecting misinformation. The participation from users to rate the added notes as helpful, somewhat helpful, and unhelpful adds a heightened layer of transparency and public participation in identifying the accuracy of the content.
As YouTube intends to gather feedback from its various stakeholders to improve the feature over time, one can look forward to improved policy and practical over time: the feedback mechanism will allow for continuous refinement of the feature, ensuring it effectively addresses misinformation. The platform employs algorithms to identify helpful notes that cater to a broad audience across different perspectives. This helps showcase accurate information and combat misinformation.
Furthermore, along with the Notes feature, YouTube should explore and implement prebunking and debunking strategies on the platform by promoting educational content and empowering users to discern between fact and any misleading information.
Conclusion
The new feature, currently in the testing phase, aims to counter misinformation by providing context, enabling user feedback, leveraging algorithms, promoting transparency, and continuously improving information quality. Considering the diverse audience on the platform and high volumes of daily content consumption, it is important for both the platform operators and users to engage with factual, verifiable information. The fallout of misinformation on such a popular platform can be immense, and so, any mechanism or feature that can help counter the same must be developed to its full potential. Apart from this new Notes feature, YouTube has also implemented certain measures in the past to counter misinformation, such as providing authenticated sources to counter any election misinformation during the recent 2024 elections in India. These efforts are a welcome contribution to our shared responsibility as netizens to create a trustworthy, factual and truly-informational digital ecosystem.
References:
- https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/new-ways-to-offer-viewers-more-context/
- https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/internet/youtube-tests-feature-that-will-let-users-add-context-to-videos/article68302933.ece
Introduction
In the advanced age of digitalization, the user base of Android phones is high. Our phones have become an integral part of our daily life activities from making online payments, booking cabs, playing online games, booking movie & show tickets, conducting online business activities, social networking, emailing and communication, we utilize our mobile phone devices. The Internet is easily accessible to everyone and offers various convenient services to users. People download various apps and utilize various services on the internet using their Android devices. Since it offers convenience, but in the growing digital landscape, threats and vulnerabilities have also emerged. Fraudsters find the vulnerabilities and target the users. Recently, various creepy online scams such as AI-based scams, deepfake scams, malware, spyware, malicious links leading to financial frauds, viruses, privacy breaches, data leakage, etc. have been faced by Android mobile users. Android mobile devices are more prone to vulnerabilities as compared to iOS. However, both Android and iOS platforms serve to provide safer digital space to mobile users. iOS offers more security features. but we have to play our part and be careful. There are certain safety measures which can be utilised by users to be safe in the growing digital age.
User Responsibility:
Law enforcement agencies have reported that they have received a growing number of complaints showing malware being used to compromise Android mobile devices. Both the platforms, Android and Google, have certain security mechanisms in place. However, cybersecurity experts emphasize that users must actively take care of safeguarding their mobile devices from evolving online threats. In this era of evolving cyber threats, being precautious and vigilant and personal responsibility for digital security is paramount.
Being aware of evolving scams
- Deepfake Scams: Deepfake is an AI-based technology. Deepfake is capable of creating realistic images or videos which in actuality are created by machine algorithms. Deepfake technology, since easily accessible, is misused by fraudsters to commit various cyber crimes or deceive and scam people through fake images or videos that look realistic. By using the Deepfake technology, cybercriminals manipulate audio and video content which looks very realistic but, in actuality, is fake.
- Voice cloning: To create a voice clone of anyone's, audio can be deepfaked too, which closely resembles a real one but, in actuality, is a fake voice created through deepfake technology. Recently, in Kerala, a man fell victim to an AI-based video call on WhatsApp. He received a video call from a person claiming to be his former colleague. The scammer, using AI deepfake technology, impersonated the face of his former colleague and asked for financial help of 40,000.
- Stalkerware or spyware: Stalkware or spyware is one of the serious threats to individual digital safety and personal information. Stalkware is basically software installed into your device without your consent or knowledge in order to track your activities and exploit your data. Stalkware, also referred to as spyware, is a type of malicious software secretly installed on your device without your knowledge. Its purpose is to track you or monitor your activities and record sensitive information such as passwords, text messages, GPS location, call history and access to your photos and videos. Cybercriminals and stalkers use this malicious software to unauthorisedly gain access to someone's phone devices.
Best practices or Cyber security tips:
- Keep your software up to date: Turn on automatic software updates for your device and make sure your mobile apps are up to date.
- Using strong passwords: Use strong passwords on your lock/unlock and on important apps on your mobile device.
- Using 2FA or multi-factor authentication: Two-factor authentication or multi-factor authentication provides extra layers of security. Be cautious before clicking on any link and downloading any app or file: Users are often led to click on malicious online links. Scammers may present such links to users through false advertisements on social media platforms, payment processes for online purchases, or in phone text messages. Through the links, victims are led either to phishing sites to give away personal data or to download harmful Android Package Kit (APK) files used to distribute and install apps on Android mobile phones.
- Secure Payments: Do not open any malicious links. Always make payments from secure and trusted payment apps. Use strong passwords for your payment apps as well. And secure your banking credentials.
- Safe browsing: Pay due care and attention while clicking on any link and downloading content. Ignore the links or attachments of suspicious emails which are from an unknown sender.
- Do not download third-party apps: Using an APK file to download a third-party app to an Android device is commonly known as sideloading. Be cautious and avoid downloading apps from third-party or dubious sites. Doing so may lead to the installation of malware in the device, which in turn may result in confidential and sensitive data such as banking credentials being stolen. Always download apps only from the official app store.
- App permissions: Review app permission and only grant permission which is necessary to use that app.
- Do not bypass security measures: Android offers more flexibility in the mobile operating system and in mobile settings. For example, sideloading of apps is disabled by default, and alerts are also in place to warn users. However, an unwitting user who may not truly understand the warnings may simply grant permission to an app to bypass the default setting.
- Monitoring: Regularly monitor your devices and system logs for security check-ups and for detecting any suspicious activity.
- Reporting online scams: A powerful resource available to victims of cybercrime is the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, equipped with a 24x7 helpline number, 1930. This portal serves as a centralized platform for reporting cybercrimes, including financial fraud.
Conclusion:
The era of digitalisation has transformed our lives, with Android phones becoming an integral part of our daily routines. While these devices offer convenience, they also expose us to online threats and vulnerabilities, such as scams like deepfake technology-based scams, voice clones, spyware, malware, and malicious links that can lead to significant financial and privacy breaches. Android devices might be more susceptible to such scams. By being aware of emerging scams like deepfakes, spyware, and other malicious activities, we can take proactive steps to safeguard our digital lives. Our mobile devices remain as valuable assets for us. However, they are also potential targets for cybercriminals. Users must remain proactive in protecting their devices and personal data from potential threats. By taking personal responsibility for our digital security and following these best practices, we can navigate the digital landscape with confidence, ensuring that our Android phones remain powerful tools for convenience and connection while keeping our data and privacy intact and staying safe from online threats and vulnerabilities.
References:
