Vehicle ‘hacking’ paper blocked

16 August 2013  

RESEARCHERS from the University of Birmingham and Dutch academics from Raboud University have been blocked by the High Court from publishing a paper that could detail how to breach ignition keys.

The paper reveals details about secret codes that bypass security on luxury cars including Porsches and Bentleys – a move that prompted legal action by the cars’ manufacturer Volkswagen. The company argued the details could put motorists and car insurance policy holders at risk of their vehicles being stolen.

A spokesperson for the research group told the Guardian: “The University of Birmingham is disappointed with the judgement which did not uphold the defence of academic freedom and public interest, but respects the decision.”

“It has decided to defer publication of the academic paper in any form while additional technical and legal advice is obtained given the continuing litigation” the spokesperson added.

Volkswagen argued the work by computer scientist Flavio Garcia and his colleagues Baris Ege and Roel Verdult could lead to the theft of low-end people-carriers and other makes which also use the Megamos Crypto algorithm to allow vehicles to identify the identity of the ignition key.

“The chip dates back to the mid-nineties and has since become outdated, but is nevertheless still widely used in the automotive industry,” the Dutch researchers said in a statement issued by their university. “The paper reveals inherent weaknesses, on the basis of mathematical calculations, and is based on an analysis of publicly available information. The publication in no way describes how to easily steal a car, as additional and different information is needed for this to be possible.”