Researchers at Trend Micro have discovered a security flaw in vehicles made by Skoda Auto, a subsidiary of Volkswagen Group, that could allow an attacker to spy on vehicle data.
The vulnerability is in the car's SmartGate system, a program that allows drivers to monitor speed, fuel consumption, maintenance notifications and more from their mobile device, a post indicated.
An attack requires the vehicle's VIN number. Then, an attacker must identify the vehicle's Wi-Fi network and break the password, which Trend Micro said is poorly protected.
“All tests have been performed with a Skoda Fabia III car, SmartGate HW version 0004, SmartGate SW version 0884, and SW version 0928,” the post said, adding other SmartGate-enabled vehicles may be at risk.
Trend Micro recommends changing the Wi-Fi transmission power to 10 percent, and changing the Wi-Fi network name and password.
