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A Mach-E owner discovered a hidden tracking module beneath his dashboard.
The device appears linked to a recently disclosed security vulnerability.
Most owners face little real-world hacking risk despite the alarming headlines.
Car hacking is becoming a more alarming issue every day, it seems. Just this week, security researchers announced that they’d found another major vulnerability that could affect any car from any brand built in the last few decades. After watching a video about the hack, one Ford owner found exactly that same type of device in his own car. Here’s why you might want to take a peek in your own vehicle and why the threat in this case isn’t as scary as it may seem.
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More: Toyota GR Corolla Buyer Finds Dealer-Installed GPS Tracker Hidden In Car
The Reddit user said the idea came after watching a recent Wired video detailing security researchers’ discovery of vulnerabilities in the KARR Security System. That’s an aftermarket alarm and tracking device frequently installed by dealerships. We’ve covered similar products in the past. In this case, the owner was simply curious, so he pulled a panel out from under his dash and, sure enough, found the module.
How To Find One In Your Own Car
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These devices are often plugged into the OBDII port via a splitter, so they’re hard to spot initially. Some can route directly to or from the battery as well. The owner wasted little time removing the module, which appears to have been installed using a plug-and-play T-harness beneath the dashboard. With that simple action, he disconnected himself from the vulnerability. If you have a similar device hidden in your vehicle, removal is often that simple.
Researchers at the University of California San Diego recently disclosed a Bluetooth vulnerability affecting certain KARR Security System modules, estimating that more than two million vehicles could have the devices installed. According to the researchers, the flaw could allow someone within Bluetooth range to unlock a vehicle, trigger its alarm, or disable its ignition until the owner installs a firmware update. Importantly, they cannot start the car with this hack. The company behind the system has since released a patch.
Why You Probably Shouldn’t Panic
That said, this isn’t a reason for owners to panic. While the researchers successfully demonstrated the vulnerability in controlled testing, exploiting it requires specialized software and close proximity to the vehicle. Moreover, while two million cars is an objectively big number, it also accounts for less than one percent of cars on the road in America. With that in mind, the chances of someone targeting your car this way remain extremely low.
Instead, the bigger takeaway may be that many owners have no idea aftermarket electronics are tucked behind their dashboards in the first place. Dealers often install them for theft prevention, inventory management, or as part of an optional security package. In this case, our Mustang Mach-E owner says his purchase paperwork never mentioned it. Thankfully, a little insight into its possible existence was enough for him to find and delete it.
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Tracker found in Mach-E
by
u/EpicLift in
MachE
Photos: Epiclift on Reddit
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