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GM's OnStar System Hacked

Posted by michael on from the think-outside-the-box dept.

Makarand writes "According to this Mercury News article users of GM's OnStar system are finding that they can modify their OnStar unit to make it work with commercially available mapping software after disconnecting it from the OnStar network. Websites and message boards are rife with step-by-step instructions to personalize OnStar's navigational and communications components. When a driver requests directions from OnStar his GPS data is routed over an analog cellular network to OnStar computers and the directions are read back to the driver on the same network. The price for this service is around $400 each year. Those who tap into their OnStar systems pay no such fees."

3 of 404 comments (clear)

  1. How about unlocking doors? by Big+Ryan · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Has anyone seen the OnStar commercial where the OnStar rep opens the vehicle doors remotely?

    How long do you think it would take to come up with a crack that allows third parties to do the same? It would make stealing cars so much easier...

  2. Re:I *like* OnStar by transient · · Score: 4, Interesting
    I like OnStar for being able to track, and stop my car if it is stolen.

    This is an incredibly useful feature. My aunt had her car stolen at gunpoint a couple months ago. The police used OnStar to track down the car and bust a ring of serial car thieves that had been working in the Twin Cities for some time.

    --

    irb(main):001:0>
  3. Re:Yes, but... by epyx · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Slightly off topic..
    I am a paramedic in Ohio, and the OnStar system called our dispatchers stating there was an accident with ejection, giving us the freeway the guy was on and what exit he was at. I guarantee this guy didn't hit his OnStar button, as he was shot twice and ejected, then subsequently turned into about 6 pieces of hamburger meat as he hit the exit sign.

    Apparantly, OnStar calls the police and EMS to an accident when your airbag goes off, and they have a sensor to detect when you're sitting in the driver's seat. Airbag went off, senors in the seat said 'hey wait, no driver no more' and called the correct ambulance company to respond. Kind of neat when you think about it.