We’ve Heard of Jailbreaking Phones, But Jailbreaking A Tesla?
We’ve all heard of jailbreaking an iPhone.
If you haven’t done it yourself, chances are you know at least one person in your circle who has.
Jailbreaking is defined as “hacking a software to access more control of certain applications and go beyond the normal limits the software is programmed with.”
Now, with electric cars that are using heavy technology, hackers have found a way to literally jailbreak a Tesla Model S.
So what does this entail exactly
Apparently there is a hidden ethernet cable port within the Tesla Model S’s computer screen that is built into the car. One hacker has been able to access an entire internet web browser on that touchscreen by hooking up his laptop through the ethernet port.
What could be beneficial to many Tesla owners by doing this, is the ability to install third-party apps for just about anything onto the car’s screen, just as jailbreakers do with phones.
Staying one step ahead, Tesla’s engineers anticipated this to happen, so when someone connects their computer into their Tesla’s ethernet port, Tesla can visually monitor everything that happens on both screens. They see what they do, when they do it, how they do it. The car company actually messaged the hacker as he was installing third party apps and told him politely to stop what he was doing so that he would not void his car’s warranty.
You may not know, but Tesla vehicles are actually updated frequently, through the internet. When Tesla sends out these updates, it mentions that the vehicle owners and users should not be tampering with the screen or the car’s capabilities.
But with every jailbreak, there are two sides of the spectrum. One that gives the user more capabilities, and the other that can ultimately get the user in big trouble.
Tesla’s Motor Clubs forum has discussed this matter between car owners and some find it to be detrimental to the development of the car and are afraid that it may end up in cases of theft. Others find it very beneficial due to the extra accessibility it gives the owner.
Here are some different examples of iPhones that have been “jailbroken” and posted with the hashtag #jailbreak . Yes, these are all in fact iPhones.
https://twitter.com/TheDevStudent/status/1166299113241174016
Honey+Smoke tweaks#iPhone #jailbreak pic.twitter.com/jsVbZDwQTJ
— Агиль (@4gilhesenoff) August 22, 2019
@ProfeJuANTONIO little mode but still nice #jailbreak pic.twitter.com/FrfCGWWBcO
— ☠️Alw@ys_JailBreak☠️ (@jamenvelasquez) August 26, 2019
