Alarm Mitsubishi Outlander can be turned off via WiFi hack

Security researchers managed to disable a Mitsubishi Outlander’s alarm by reverse engineering the mobile app’s protocol and sending an Alarm Off command to the car.

According to PenTestPartners, the hack is possible because Mitsubishi uses a Wi-Fi access point to connect to the car for the Outlander, rather than the much more common mobile internet connection. Since the password consists of a limited number of characters, it is quite easy to crack.

Via that WiFi connection, the car receives commands via the Mitsubishi mobile app. After cracking the Wi-Fi password and intercepting the communication between the car and the app, the security researchers spent several days studying the protocol of commands the app sends. Then it turned out that the car also executed commands when sent from the computer.

This makes it possible to switch the lights on and off, switch the air conditioning on and off and set whether and when the car charges the battery. The worst-case scenario, according to PenTestPartners, is that malicious parties use online tools and the SSID to find a car, sit nearby to crack the Wi-Fi password, switch off the alarm and then take control of the car.

Users of the Outlander can prevent the hack by disabling the ‘vin registration’ via the app. Then the Wi-Fi access point goes into sleep mode and cannot be accessed, preventing the hack from happening. With ten presses of the remote control button, users can turn the access point back on if they wish.

Mitsubishi is aware of the problem and is working on a fix through new firmware, which can push it to the car. This will probably make the WiFi password longer and possibly improve the security between the app and the car.