$10,000 Is On Offer For Anyone Who Can Hack A Tesla Car – Forbes

Thomas Brewster over at Forbes has an interesting story this week on a $10,000 bounty that’s being offered for anyone who can hack Tesla’s Model S sedan.

A China-based security conference has placed a $10,000 reward for anyone who can hack a Tesla Model S.
A China-based security conference has placed a $10,000 reward for anyone who can hack a Tesla Model S.

The contest is open to all registered attendees of SyScan Conference in Beijing, which takes place later in July. (Conference web site is here.) According to Brewster, the contest is not endorsed by Tesla, nor is the company cooperating in any way.

The conference features a number of hacking demonstrations, including at least one on hacking cars: this presentation on strategies for securing Controller Area Network (CAN) based systems – CAN is the most commonly used networking protocol in automobiles.

Tesla – which makes the most wired cars on the road – have flirted with both hackers and mod-ers in the past. Notably: this article mentions one car owner’s hack of Tesla’s (really nice) on board touch screen interface.

That prompted a warning from Tesla that modifying the automobile’s software could void the manufacturer’s warrant.

One challenge could be getting your hands on a Tesla in China. The company is reported to have  imported 1,545 Model S sedans in the second quarter of this year, but demand for the electric vehicles is very strong in the country. Tesla also faces a patent infringement suit in China and a dearth of compatible electric charging stations.

Read more here: $10,000 Is On Offer For Anyone Who Can Hack A Tesla Car – Forbes.