Is your car connected

Driving and riding in Hua Hin and Thailand, all topics on cars, pickups, bikes, boats, licenses, roads, and motoring in general.
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Nereus
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Is your car connected

Post by Nereus »

I doubt very much in the case of Land Rover in Thailand that they have anyone with enough nouse to do this, but where does it stop?
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Shock Land Rover Discovery: Sellers could meddle with connected cars if not unbound

Both data and the online controls on "connected cars" from Jaguar Land Rover remain available to previous owners, according to security experts and owners of the upmarket vehicles. The car maker has defended its privacy safeguards and security of its InControl tech.

El Reg began investigating the issue after talking to Matt Watts, a techie who blogged about the issue of connected cars and the data they collect, without initially naming Jaguar Land Rover (JLR).

Watts' secondhand Range Rover came with the ability to remotely control the climate systems, call breakdown services, upload GPS/destination details and much more. The vehicle also keeps a record of much of this information and stores it in an online account.

Most drivers won't use this functionality, but Watts is a self-admitted geek. After he downloaded the JLR app to his smartphone and started to experiment, Watts realised that he was able to use the eight digits of the vehicle identification number (VIN) to link his vehicle to an online account.

When doing so, the JLR website informed him that the vehicle was linked to another user's account. After dealing with support centres and a JLR dealer, Watts was eventually told that the previous owners should have disconnected before selling on the car. He was initially advised to contact the previous owner, which is annoying enough in itself.

"The process to get the manufacturer to update the online details for the vehicle is for me to try and find the previous owner and get them to do it for me," Watts wrote.

The issue goes far beyond Watts being unable to use the funky functionality of his secondhand motor, as he explained:

The previous owner of my car has control over it, they can unlock it, they can remotely set the climate control without me knowing about it, even when the car isn't running, they potentially can even look at the sat-nav system, they can also call break down services to the vehicle and all of this without me knowing anything about it.
Someone else has access to a significant amount of data about myself and my vehicle and there appears to be nothing that the manufacturer is prepared to do about it.


https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/07/2 ... r_privacy/
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VincentD
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Re: Is your car connected

Post by VincentD »

I am quite aware of this 'connectivity' trend, starting with the 'Start Button' in all the newer cars. They are all connected to the keyfob and if you have the correct code, don't need a key at all once you have gained access to the car's 'brain'. I was okay with the trend when the code was built into the key itself, and programmable; double security in my mind at the time. Now, all you need is a wireless code reader and access to the OBDII port so potential thieves don't even have to physically break into the (non-existent) keyhole and starter. God forbid if your keyfob battery dies, but don't despair. They do have a key in the fob to let yourself in!
Oh, and once started,the car will continue to function even if the keyfob is no longer in range once started.
Three and a half steps backward in my opinion.
My old Saab was a pain at times because you had to engage reverse gear (it was a manual) before you could remove the key. But it worked as long as you didn't have to leave the car parked somewhere where you needed to leave the car in neutral.

Oh, and is my present car connected? Yes and no. It's so old I still have a cassette player in it, and you need a physical key to start the thing. so in that respect, no.
But I do have an aftermarket GPS locator /immobilizer that will call my mobile phone *should* the car be broken into or started. I can also remotely start or stop the engine using my mobile phone (or any phone for that matter) as I know the codes. It is hardwired into the car and totally independent and invisible to anyone who cares to look. I could potentially sell this car and still have control and location data without the new owner knowing.
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