Volkswagen Leak Exposed Location Data For 800,000 Electric Cars

For months, nan location accusation of astir 800,000 electrical Volkswagen vehicles was disposable online owed to a accusation leak, according to a study from nan German news mag Der Spiegel. The leak reportedly stemmed from nan package moving incorrect Volkswagen vehicles and could've allowed a bad characteristic to trace a driver’s nonstop movements, arsenic noted by Electrek.

A whistleblower first notified Der Spiegel and nan European hacking narration Chaos Computer Club of nan vulnerability, which too affects EVs from Volkswagen-owned car brands connected a world scale, including Audi, Seat, and Skoda.

Der Spiegel recovered that Cariad, nan Volkswagen subsidiary down nan automaker's software, made it imaginable for an attacker to find and entree driver accusation housed successful Amazon’s unreality retention service. The data, which “could beryllium linked to nan names and relationship specifications of nan drivers,” reportedly included specifications astir erstwhile EVs were switched connected and off, connected pinch nan emails, telephone numbers, and addresses of drivers successful immoderate cases.

It included nan “precise” locations of astir 460,000 vehicles, arsenic Der Spiegel says nan accusation was “accurate to incorrect 10 centimeters” for Volkswagen and Seats vehicles, and incorrect 10km (~6 miles) for Audi and Skoda models.

Cariad has since addressed nan issue, telling Der Spiegel customers have ”no petition to return immoderate action, arsenic nary delicate accusation specified arsenic passwords aliases costs specifications are affected.” The Verge reached retired to Cariad and Volkswagen pinch requests for remark but didn’t instantly comprehend back.