Using Tire Pressure Sensors To Spy On Cars

AngryDad writes "Beginning last September, all vehicles sold in the US have been required to have Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) installed. An article up at HexView enumerates privacy issues introduced by TPMS, and some of them look pretty scary. Did you know that traffic sensors on highways can be adopted to read TPMS data and track individual vehicles? How about an explosive device that sets itself off when the right vehicle passes nearby? TPMS has been discussed in the past, but I haven't seen its privacy implications analyzed before. Fortunately the problem is easy to fix: encrypt TPMS data the way keyless entry systems do."

Headline: Tire PMS kills! Story at 11!

[kiick]

Sorry, Couldn't resist.

This isn't an 4/1 joke, is it?

Part of me feels paranoid now...

[AioKits]

Especially this part:
How about an explosive device that sets itself off when the right vehicle passes nearby?
Great, first I have to worry about the tolls on I-44 through Oklahoma, now I got to worry about exploding vehicles?
Maybe in the future we can all roll to work in giant hamster balls. Getting groceries home will be a bitch tho...

I Posted About This

[Jeremiah Cornelius]

Extensively, on /. a couple of years back - with relevant links. Naturally, I was "troll modded" to -1, while also growing a flaming trail of replies, some dozen long.

I'd like to see MedicatedDad's post to the front page as vindication, but it IS April 1st...

President authorizes warrentless tire tapping...

[Digestromath]

In the War on Terrorism, the president in his finite capacity for wisdom has authorized any government agency, with at least 3 letters in its acronym, to engage in acts of tire tapping without the need for endless judicial oversite.

The government won't use this information to track you down to that seedy little motel on the side of route 9, where you cavort with no less than 3 women other than your wife. We only care about catching bad guys. Your wife however...

If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear but fear itself.

Re:Part of me feels paranoid now...

[evil agent]

Maybe in the future we can all roll to work in giant hamster balls. Getting groceries home will be a bitch tho...

Yeah, I learned this the hard way. Just make sure the food is enclosed in metal containers so the hamsters can't get to it.

Re:Tin Foil Hats!!!

[dfm3]

Time to break out the tin foil hats so they can't read my tire pressures.

Um, don't you mean tin foil rims?

Re:Tin Foil Hats!!!

[Hatta]

Or tin foil hub caps.

Can we get a car analogy for this?

[Digestromath]

I'm having trouble grasping the concepts, can someone put it into a nice analogy using cars? What... wait... damnit.

Re:RFID tracking

[taskiss]

Sure, and you will then be denied the privilege of driving on the road that has the sensor that reads your tire pressure.

By George, I think you've got it!

Re:RFID tracking

[ArcherB]

Kinda hard to do without puncturing the tire. Read up on it: here. Michelin at least seems to mount it inside the laminas of the tire.

Of course you could always surround your tires in tin foil if you are THAT paranoid.

I hear that microwaving your tires for 15 seconds each will also disable the RFID tags.

Re:RFID tracking

[afaik_ianal]

... and I can stuff beans up my nose if I want. But I don't.

Re:ABS Sensor

[Bombria]

I just want to know what the cover sheet for all those TPS reports is going to look like.

Re:RFID tracking

[Anonymous Coward]

you didn't use purchased tin foil did you? what about the rfid embedded in that?

Re:RFID tracking

[aurispector]

REAL paranoics mine, smelt and roll out their OWN tinfoil.

Re: Finally, an April Fools story!!!

[c6gunner]

Personally, I've never really been scared by any of the things our government keeps telling me I should be terrorized by, but what really scares me is the bleak future I see for my kids and their kids...caused by our own Orwellian, all-powerful government.

Yeah, I soooooo hear ya on that one! You know what else scares me? Clowns. The government keeps saying that there's nothing to fear from clowns, but I know The Truth! Those colourful costumes and goofy makeup are the perfect disguises for Secret Service death squads, prowling our neighbourhoods and looking to assassinate or brainwash anyone they see purchasing organic tomatoes. It's downright terrifying!

I'm glad to see that there's other right-minded folk like me on here! Keep up the good work Mr. Transporter!

Re:OnStar

[geekoid]

I know 1 person with on star, and they were in a bad accident, having the OnStar saved her life.

Clearly OnStar causes accidents.

oblig. Buckaroo Bonzai quote

[transporter_ii]

Laugh-a while you can, monkey boy!

Not good for criminals

[Jaxoreth]

My main concern is that some hacker kid is going to break into the traffic management network and use their monitoring systems to analyze the tire pressure on my trucks to figure out which ones are decoys and which one actually has the gold in it, at which point by manipulating the traffic signals he'll coerce it over to the right spot and blow up the street out from underneath it so it drops underground, where thieves are waiting to steal the gold [imdb.com].

Re:Part of me feels paranoid now...

[arivanov]

This is Germans. They still study chemistry, physics and basic electronics and other freeky terrorist skills in school even today.

I would not be afraid of such nasty things happening in an decent god-fearful rule obiding English Speaking country. This has long been taken care of through the amendments to the school and university curriculum. And if worst comes to worst control orders can be used from people taking high school chemistry courses: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7107265.stm [bbc.co.uk]