“Just a cable”: how your electric car can betray your sensitive data, depending on the experts

THE electric cars have never been so smart. GPS, cameras, sensors, updates remotely: they are real rolling computers. But by dint of opening all windows, some also let go of unwelcome air. British Defense specialists alert today: to connect your phone to a Chinese electric vehicle is potentially inviting a spy on board, without even holding the door.

Behind the high-tech comfort of the VE, the temptation of espionage

“There are a lot of opportunities to collect data in a modern vehicle, and therefore a lot of opportunities to compromise this vehicle,” warns Rafe Pilling, director of intelligence on threats at SecureWorks. Microphones, cameras, Wi-Fi, cellular connection: as many tools as precious for driver’s comfort … as for an indiscreet eye.

And it’s not just a theory. According to Pilling, the ability of vehicles to receive “over the air” updates – by internet, without going through a garage – also opens the way for possible data exfiltrations. “A modern vehicle, full of computers, radios antennas, lidars and external cameras, can very well be diverted from the surveillance platform,” he insists.

The simple fact of connecting a smartphone, whether by cable or Bluetooth, adds an additional risk. Joseph Jarnecki, researcher at the Royal United Services Institute, sums up without detour: “If you are an engineer on a sixth generation fighting plane project and you connect your work phone to your personal vehicle, you must understand that you are potentially accessing your data.”

Obviously, not everyone is a target. But for those who manipulate sensitive information – military engineers, senior officials, researchers -, the threat is not hypothetical. A moment of inattention, a cable connected to the bad car, and some data can spin faster than Tesla on the highway.

The gaze turns particularly to Chinese brands, as Byd Or Xpeng. Not necessarily because of formal evidence, but because of the legal context in China: “Chinese law obliges companies to cooperate with national intelligence services,” Recalls Alan Woodward, cybersecurity expert at the University of Surrey. “Even without public evidence of espionage via cars, this is enough to fuel mistrust.”

Especially since, as an expert underline under the cover of anonymity underlines, “China would have a lot to lose to compromise international trust in its automotive industry, now flourishing.” In other words, if the threat exists in theory, its massive exploitation would be a very risky bet for Beijing.

Officially, the British government remains elusive. But in fact, as recognized by the Minister of Defense Lord Coaker, “Work is underway to assess and alleviate the potential threats that certain vehicles could represent, whether Chinese or not.”