Skip to main content

Michigan researchers show how easy it is to hack trucks

Cybersecurity researchers have already shown how easy it is to hack a Jeep Cherokee and take control of its brakes and steering, resulting in a recall for the vulnerability to be corrected. At the Usenix Workshop on Offensive Technologies conference next week, a group of University of Michigan researchers plan to demonstrate how trucks, which have also begun adding similar electronic control system, can be vulnerable to hacking. They plan to show how the openness of the SAE J1939 standard used across
August 5, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
Cybersecurity researchers have already shown how easy it is to hack a 1957 Jeep Cherokee and take control of its brakes and steering, resulting in a recall for the vulnerability to be corrected.

At the Usenix Workshop on Offensive Technologies conference next week, a group of University of Michigan researchers plan to demonstrate how trucks, which have also begun adding similar electronic control system, can be vulnerable to hacking.

They plan to show how the openness of the SAE J1939 standard used across all US heavy vehicle industries gives easy access for safety-critical attacks and that these attacks aren't limited to one specific make, model, or industry.

They will test their attacks on a 2006 Class-8 semi tractor and 2001 school bus and demonstrate how simple it is to replicate the kinds of attacks used on consumer vehicles and that it is possible to use the same attack on other vehicles that use the SAE J1939 standard.

They will also show safety critical attacks that include the ability to accelerate a truck in motion, disable the driver's ability to accelerate, and disable the vehicle's engine brake. Their presentation concludes with a discussion of the possibilities of additional attacks and potential remote attack vectors.

Related Content

  • December 7, 2021
    Here are the ITS America Awards finalists
    The Best of ITS and Best of Mobility on Demand (MOD) finalists have been selected by a distinguished panel and now the winners will be judged LIVE - by you, the attendees!
  • April 15, 2016
    University of Michigan, Toyota partner on connected car research
    On the heels of last week’s announcement that Toyota is putting more boots on the ground in Ann Arbor to study fully autonomous driving and advanced mobility, Toyota is to partner with the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) at the Ann Arbor Connected Vehicle Test Environment (AACVTE) in an operational real-world deployment of connected vehicles and infrastructure. AACVTE is a real-world implementation of connected vehicle safety technologies being used by everyday driver
  • December 28, 2021
    Artificial Intelligence applications for commercial vehicle operations
    The combination of machine learning, deep neural networks and computer vision provides opportunities to address in new ways an increasing range of functions that are a part of commercial vehicle operations. Here, IRD’s Rish Malhotra details how.
  • August 13, 2015
    Syracuse models post-industrial revival for US cities
    A connective corridor in Syracuse, New York State, could be a model for other post-industrial cities, as David Crawford discovers. The aim of the city of Syracuse’ 5.6km-long Connective Corridor in Onandaga County in upstate New York is to create a model ‘complete street’ for use in wider regeneration schemes. Key transport-sector components are traffic calming, high-quality transit with accessible passenger information, plus walkability and bike-friendliness.