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First Fiat, now General Motors: Security flaw exposed in comms system

Fault found in OnStar vehicle communications system.

By CBR Staff Writer

Just days after Fiat had to recall 1.4 million vehicles due to hacking fears, a researcher has revealed a vulnerability in General Motors’ OnStar vehicle communications system.

White-hat hacker Samy Kamkar said that hackers could tinker with the security flaw in the OnStar vehicle communications system and remotely start the engine or unlock the car.

Kamkar posted a video and said that he will spill out technical details on the incident next week in Las Vegas.

Reuters cited sources familiar with the matter as saying that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has come to know about the issue and the watchdog has discussed the issue with GM officials.

NHTSA has reportedly given suggestion to the US automaker to disable the app functions until customers update the app.

GM officials acknowledged the incident, but said that the flaw could affect only minor functions involving doors and engine start-stop, but the critical safety systems will remain untouched.

The news agency also cited GM spokesman Terrence Rhadigan as saying: "We believe the chances of replicating this demonstration in the real world are unlikely.

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"In addition, the action involves one user at a time, and would impact only that specific user’s account."

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