But what really happened to Christine Dousset-Lazier? This veterinarian, resident in Morbihan, explained to the newspaper Le Télégramme that she lost control of her Tesla, in an article published on January 10.
Stuck at 40 km/h on a highway
“Someone started driving my car remotely. I found myself on the highway with a speed limit that had been limited to 40 km/h, then they turned the heating and ventilation on full. They also locked my car remotely, which forced me to “Break the glass to get my things. “It’s terrible to have a car whose action you can’t control,” he explains in this article, since republished by many media.
In fact, Tesla models are among the most connected today: a mobile application allows access to different parameters. In this way, it is possible to regulate the heating remotely, sound the vehicle’s horn or identify its location.
Share access to the a priori application in question
“Christine Dousset had authorized one of her acquaintances to agree to the request,” summarizes a subject of the France 2 news. If an investigation by the gendarmerie is being carried out, it seems more likely that this relative could have, through This invitation, register as the main controller, allowing you to play with different configurations. And why not give him this little scare: the “relative” in question “has a conflict with the victim over monetary issues,” noted a journalist from France 3 Bretagne.
On the other hand, it is not impossible even for a guest or the main driver to limit the speed to 40 km/h, as the driver claims. The minimum speed that can be programmed through the application is 80 km/h, as recalled by the specialized site Caradisiac.
In fact, we can think of a more advanced hack carried out by a very experienced hacker. However, it is not very credible:
“Tesla is probably one of the manufacturers that invests the most in security: they are the only ones that compare themselves with the others in international competitions. The other manufacturers know that they are far behind,” Vincent Dehors, engineer, explained to France 3 in cybersecurity. for the cybersecurity company Synacktiv.
A company famous for having managed to hack a Tesla recently, during a contest organized in Vancouver, as reported on the BFM Business Tech&Co program last April.
Another way to explain this speed limited to 40 km/h: a widespread use of heating, which we can act on through the application, with a weak battery that potentially limits the vehicle’s performance.
A password to keep, like car keys.
“Giving guests access is like handing over the keys to the car,” summarizes Vincent Dehors. A good way to alert people to the need to be very careful when sharing their identifiers or the security level of their passwords.
Passwords that should not be shared, not only with loved ones… the truly trustworthy ones. If in doubt, it is recommended to change the password, reinforcing its security level, or even contact the administrator of the site or service you are using: he will be able to act if, for example, you have lost access with a change of email email to connect.
The owner who was the victim of this “hack” did not lose confidence in Tesla in any way: she ended up buying a new one, with, without a doubt, better practices in the use of the application.
Source: BFM TV
