Dealerships installed alarms in millions of vehicles—and left them in even if the buyer didn’t want them. Now researchers warn they can be hacked to unlock, track, and disable cars.
  • ltxrtquq@lemmy.mlEnglish
    6 hours

    Car owners in Southern California are most likely to have the device installed due to its popularity among car dealers in the region, but the UCSD researchers warn that they’ve found the devices installed in vehicles across the US and even in other countries.

    The part I was most interested in. I thought California was supposed to have slightly better privacy laws, but I guess it really doesn’t mean much.

    • dogslayeggs@lemmy.worldEnglish
      2 hours

      This is about dealerships pre-installing an alarm system and trying to upsell people at paperwork signing. If they turn down the option, the dealers just don’t activate the alarm system. Some dealers are shadier about it than others. I went into final docs signing without ever being told about the $600 option and only barely noticed it before I signed. I was like, “uhhh, what’s this?” Luckily I was aware of other bullshit upcharges dealers tack on like underbody coatings and stuff, so I made sure to go line by line on the price. $600 for an alarm that could be bought for $200, plus I think it also had a recurring yearly fee for it.

      So all of those people were informed that their vehicle did have this privacy and security invasion. There was just no way to have it uninstalled.

    • Tollana1234567@lemmy.todayEnglish
      12 hours

      im guessing no one is the wiser if nobody notices or cares about it, or complains about it.

    • sem@piefed.blahaj.zoneEnglish
      14 hours

      Anyone in Bluetooth Range Can Unlock Cars, Kill Engines Through Alarms Owners May Never Have Paid For

      A dealer-installed alarm in two million cars is vulnerable to hackers. Worse yet, owners may not even know their car has one.