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Hacker Shut Down 100 Cars Remotely. How Did He Do it?

firstcoastnews.com -- AUSTIN, Texas -- More than 100 Austin car buyers had their vehicles disabled or triggered to continuously honk after police said a former employee hacked into the company's account.

Police said the terminated Texas Auto Center employee accessed the computer system to disable the online account that allows the company to deactivate the starters and activate the horns and GPS of many of the vehicles.

The company said they had more than 80 customers who complained they lost work, missed school or complained of towing expenses and vehicle repairs.

Police arrested Omar Ramos-Lopez, 20, and charged with breach of computer security.

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Submitted Mar 19, 2010 By: VDubBill

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kelsielee Champion Author Atlanta Posts:3,389 Points:672,025 Joined:Sep 2008	Message Posted: Mar 20, 2010 8:04:18 PM Ignore kelsielee Report Abuse I was not aware of the system that allowed the dealer (and holder of a loan) to disable a car. This story demonstrates one of many problems that could occur with such a system.
Sneakers55 Champion Author Houston Posts:44,810 Points:1,808,175 Joined:Nov 2005	Message Posted: Mar 19, 2010 9:03:14 PM Ignore Sneakers55 Report Abuse Amplion wrote: >Maybe he could shut down runaway TOYOTA? LEXUS? They'd have to put OnStar on them and that would ruin things.
Sneakers55 Champion Author Houston Posts:44,810 Points:1,808,175 Joined:Nov 2005	Message Posted: Mar 19, 2010 8:53:18 PM Ignore Sneakers55 Report Abuse vandamme wrote: >Bill Gates is a crook, so your analogy is apt. Actually, you need an >idiot to have an insecure password, and a crook to steal it. So, Gates >and Ballmer. Just because Bill Gates made a lot of money doesn't mean he's a crook. He was in the right place in the right time several times. >(Can you tell I'm a Linux fan?) Operating systems whose name ends in "X" (the letters before "X" vary) had pundits who said those OSes would take over the world next year. The only kicker is "next year" started somewhere around 1976. There are many real-world applications that likely will never see the inside of a Linux box. On the other hand, I've noted that my U-verse residential gateway runs a flavor of FreeBSD. AT&T didn't stick with BSD for the set-top boxes; they run Windows CE.
NHLiveFree Champion Author New Hampshire Posts:8,022 Points:1,270,040 Joined:Jun 2008	Message Posted: Mar 19, 2010 5:02:36 PM Ignore NHLiveFree Report Abuse Think twice before you purchase a used vehicle from the "Buy Here, Pay Here" dealers. They will destroy your credit rating in a heart beat and lock you out of your car with one push of a button. What happens when they remotely disable your ignition while you are driving??? Sounds like some great lawsuits in the making. Please forgive granitestater for his paranoia. He must have moved to our "Live Free ..." state from D.C. or NY. His favorite movie is Conspiracy Theory.
fordmexico Champion Author Michigan Posts:8,535 Points:332,750 Joined:Oct 2009	Message Posted: Mar 19, 2010 11:37:16 AM Ignore fordmexico Report Abuse Texas Auto Center is a used vehicle dealership that advertises easy credit low down payments. Typically, some of these "tote the note" operators install shut down devices that can be activated to disable a vehicle if the buyer does not make payments on time. Sorry granitestater, NO government conspiracy with secret "black boxes". From InfoSecurity, March 18, 2010 "The Auto Center reportedly used a system from Pay Technologies called Webtech Plus. Designed to remotely disable cars whose owners are behind on their payments, the system can be made to remotely honk a car's horn, or to prevent it from being started up. Ramos-Lopez is said to have had his account on the system closed when he left, but commentators close to the situation said that he gained access using another employee's password. He was then allegedly able to set up a database of 1100 customers who had purchased vehicles from the Center's four dealership lots, said the Wired story. He was able to disable the cars and set off their horns. Customers were calling the dealership in a confused state, asking why their horns were honking, and were forced to disconnect their batteries, said reports. Cars controlled by the Webtech Plus system are manipulated using a hardware device installed behind the dashboard, which is sent instructions via a wireless pager network. Cars cannot be stopped while they are in motion. According to Texas Auto Center manager Martin Garcia, Ramos-Lopez was "pretty good with computers", although the alleged hacker couldn't have been that good; investigators tracked him down by finding an IP address for offending Webtech sessions in system logs. You'd have thought that someone going to those lengths to gain revenge on a former automative employer would have taken the road less traveled, and perhaps researched something like Tor before sparking up their browser."
remay Champion Author Houston Posts:5,207 Points:1,757,170 Joined:May 2006	Message Posted: Mar 19, 2010 6:51:55 AM Ignore remay Report Abuse What's next... Audible spam messages being broadcast through the vehicle's audio system?
vandamme Champion Author New York Posts:1,039 Points:120,380 Joined:Nov 2008	Message Posted: Mar 19, 2010 5:56:25 AM Ignore vandamme Report Abuse "This kid could be the next Bill Gates. " Bill Gates is a crook, so your analogy is apt. Actually, you need an idiot to have an insecure password, and a crook to steal it. So, Gates and Ballmer. (Can you tell I'm a Linux fan?) I just wonder if the dealership told people about this little "option" on their cars.
ronsimonil All-Star Author Texas Posts:734 Points:157,975 Joined:Mar 2009	Message Posted: Mar 19, 2010 5:04:27 AM Ignore ronsimonil Report Abuse It is kind of scary what can be done. This could just be the tip of the iceberg.
fratt Champion Author Grand Rapids Posts:8,004 Points:2,280,980 Joined:Jul 2005	Message Posted: Mar 19, 2010 3:05:01 AM Ignore fratt Report Abuse I agree with ArmydudeNC.
MyRedSky Champion Author Orlando Posts:2,693 Points:862,040 Joined:Jul 2008	Message Posted: Mar 19, 2010 2:48:32 AM Ignore MyRedSky Report Abuse Kudos to the hacker for exposing this company's ability to control their customer's vehicles after the sale.
jackson661 Champion Author Columbus Posts:2,989 Points:1,139,210 Joined:May 2006	Message Posted: Mar 19, 2010 2:45:17 AM Ignore jackson661 Report Abuse This kid could be the next Bill Gates.
ArmydudeNC Champion Author North Carolina Posts:6,303 Points:1,014,300 Joined:Jul 2009	Message Posted: Mar 19, 2010 2:40:22 AM Ignore ArmydudeNC Report Abuse Prime example of technology being used for bad.
1fulltank Champion Author Buffalo Posts:6,100 Points:1,190,080 Joined:Nov 2008	Message Posted: Mar 19, 2010 2:38:53 AM Ignore 1fulltank Report Abuse A new twist to an old crime.
Saturn93 Champion Author Salt Lake City Posts:6,981 Points:1,574,790 Joined:Oct 2006	Message Posted: Mar 19, 2010 2:38:26 AM Ignore Saturn93 Report Abuse Too much technology. Just because we can do something with technology, is not a reason to actually do it. It's like Microsoft who have made their software subject of hackers by trying to build too many extra remote control features into their product.
Amplion Champion Author Oregon Posts:4,789 Points:1,500,295 Joined:Sep 2005	Message Posted: Mar 19, 2010 2:34:25 AM Ignore Amplion Report Abuse Maybe he could shut down runaway TOYOTA? LEXUS?
hwnguy Champion Author Honolulu Posts:3,635 Points:1,095,515 Joined:Apr 2008	Message Posted: Mar 19, 2010 2:29:40 AM Ignore hwnguy Report Abuse No need for cars anymore...
BigDogOH Champion Author Cincinnati Posts:6,652 Points:1,442,745 Joined:Mar 2008	Message Posted: Mar 19, 2010 2:29:15 AM Ignore BigDogOH Report Abuse Explans Toyoal probles. UAW hacker
granitestater Champion Author New Hampshire Posts:6,851 Points:1,097,870 Joined:Oct 2008	Message Posted: Mar 19, 2010 1:30:16 AM Ignore granitestater Report Abuse This exposes the secret government black box that will be in all cars in the future. Drive too many miles? Shutdown! Didn't pay your taxes? Shutdown! Government doesn't like you very much? Shutdown!