SITREP 01: Nissan LEAF Hacked and Preparing for Southern Storms

SITREPs are our timely updates on developing news and interests discovered on our journey through the Interwebs.

The Nissan LEAF is currently the world’s best selling electric car. One of the features of the LEAF is the NissanConnect app and Troy Hunt has released a blog post today detailing a seriously vulnerability through the app.

Troy discovered that Nissan’s app doesn’t require much authentication past the VIN number and that the app provides a large amount of information when querying it. This enabled him to remotely access information about the vehicle’s status and history, as well as the ability to manipulate some of the vehicle’s features.

Hunt provided Nissan information about this exploit on January 23rd and advised them that he would be making a public post on the issue sometime this week. Staff from the Nissan Information Security Threat Intelligence informed him that they were, “…making progress toward a solution.”

Click here to read the full article on TroyHunt.com

Deadly Southern Storms

Several storms along the Gulf Coast have claimed the lives of at least three people and are continuing toward the Carolina area. The storms included high winds up to 70 mph, hail and tornados. They were so fierce, teams at the local National Weather Service center were forced to take cover and utilize backup radars after lightning took out their main.

If you’re in these southern areas, be sure that you’re reviewing and updating your safety plans and kits. During an emergency is not the time to discover worn, broken or missing equipment. Check out the following articles on ITS for ideas and guides for emergency planning.

• 13 Common Sense Items you Need in a Winter Vehicle Emergency Kit
• Building a Bolt Bag: Being Prepared to Go At Any Moment
• Know your Winter Enemy: How to Battle the Elements and Win
• Storm Chasing: It’s All Fun and Games Until One Chases You Back

For those in the North Texas area, SKYWARN™ Spotter Training classes are available through the National Weather Forecast Office. Click here to see a list of upcoming classes in your area.