Vulnerabilities of Android OS-Based Telematics System

Intelligent vehicle technologies have been developed rapidly. Modern vehicles include many Electronic Control Units (ECUs) and in-vehicle networks. While these technologies offer accurate vehicle control and increase the convenience and safety of drivers, their vulnerabilities also have been analyzed and exploited. Nevertheless, open platforms, such as the Android OS, have been introduced into vehicle systems without careful consideration about security issues. In this paper, we indicate the security problems of an Android OS-based telematics system. Our target device’s firmware is offered on a public Web site and is easily analyzed using public analysis tools. This means that our analysis methods are more scalable and practical than previous ones for remote attacks that require difficult analysis skills, such as signal processing and reverse engineering. We also found that the device allows malicious firmware to be updated because of a problem related to misuse of certificates. Furthermore, we conducted attack experiments using a real vehicle.