It Wouldn't Be Impossible To Take Over a Fleet of Tesla EVs, White Hat Hackers Say

One of the main perks Tesla buyers get to enjoy is the Autopilot suite. It comes standard on every car the marque sells. It's an adaptive cruise control system that works solely based on what the nine cameras see and what the computer understands. There's no radar, LiDAR, or even ultrasonic parking sensors. That's what's known as "Tesla Vision."

Known for making zero-emission "computers on wheels," the Texas-based automaker also offers customers pricey self-driving software that builds on top of Autopilot's capabilities. That's the ultimate level of driver assistance. Theoretically, the EVs should be able to drive themselves everywhere. The company's CEO even said nine years ago that an FSD-equipped car should be able to drive itself across America like a cute robotaxi that listens to its owner.

Sadly, that's not the case. FSD remains in the Beta stage of development and must be used with extreme caution. It's not ready for regulatory approval and might never be. Other brands use a plethora of detection and logic systems to make their cars partly autonomous. Mercedes-Benz, for example, achieved the SAE J3016 Level 4 of driving automation in a parking lot. However, the eligible car has cameras, radars, parking sensors, and a 5G internet connection. It communicates with other Bosch-supplied fixed external sensors to park itself wherever there's a free spot.

It's not that simple to make autonomous vehicles. It's a major challenge. Waymo, for example, has deployed robotaxis that drive themselves. However, the company has humans who can wirelessly take over in case something happens. If the car doesn't respond to remote inputs, someone will go and drive it.

But such limitations didn't stop Tesla from selling FSD Beta and the CEO from overpromising and underdelivering. The world's most valuable automaker is a disruptor, but there are legitimate worries about how it convinces unsuspecting customers to become volunteer testers of unfinished software.

Besides that, this type of technology might become a national security worry in the future. If you have a vehicle that can drive itself, what's going to stop someone savvy enough to steal it without even being near it?

The automaker has the means to remotely block access to certain features if you don't use them accordingly or if you don't pay for them. It can also shut down your car completely if the situation calls for it.

But an even more worrying scenario is brought forward by a movie where many seemingly abandoned and out-of-juice Tesla EVs start gunning for the protagonist. Two white hat hackers who have won prizes because they gained access to the automaker's infotainment and energy management systems say that such an apocalyptic scenario isn't absurd. It can happen.

Fortunately, they also say it will be extremely difficult to take over so many cars. It would require a ton of effort and computing power. Besides that, if there are at least a few engineers left at Tesla, they could patch vulnerabilities via over-the-air updates.

But it's not just this EV maker that can become a target for savvy nefarious actors. It can happen to any piece of technology. If someone can find a way in, they can cause a whole lot of trouble. Just make sure your computer on wheels is up to date, and you should be fine.

Progress doesn't come without some minor downsides or new risks. It's up to us to be careful and make the right choices.