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Ford Tests DIY Firmware Updates
wiredmikey writes "This month, Ford is borrowing something from the software industry: updates. With a fleet of new cars using the sophisticated infotainment system they developed with Microsoft called SYNC, Ford has the need to update those vehicles — for both features and security reasons. But how do you update the software in thousands of cars? Traditionally, the automotive industry has resorted to automotive recalls. But now, Ford will be releasing thirty thousand USB sticks to Ford owners with the new SYNC infotainment system, although the update will also be available for online download. In preparing to update your car, Ford encourages users to have a unique USB for each Ford they own, and to have the USB drive empty and not password protected. In the future, updating our gadgets, large and small, will become routine. But for now, it's going to be really cumbersome and a little weird. Play this forward a bit. Image taking Patch Tuesday to a logical extreme, where you walk around your house or office to apply patches to many of the offline gadgets you own."
Just leave at least one wireless interface active and I'll handle all the updates for you!
Sincerely, B. Hat,
Honest Gentleman
"Play this forward a bit. Image taking Patch Tuesday to a logical extreme, where you walk around your house or office to apply patches to many of the offline gadgets you own."
I'm assuming by the time we need to upgrade firmware or software on our refrigerators, toasters, coffee makers, and toilets that they'll all be sentient and just do it themselves.
Since when does an automobile entertainment system need security updates? Oh, the wonders of Microsoft...
Have you read my blog lately?
"Yeah, boss? I can't come into work today. My Ford Focus just BSOD'd in my driveway."
What could possibly go wrong with a capability to wirelessly update your car's firmware?
[Sir Garlon] is the marvellest knight that is now living, for he destroyeth many good knights, for he goeth invisible.
The vehicles do have wi-fi and Bluetooth. I can, for example, tether my phone to my vehicle which will, in turn, create a hotspot that other wi-fi devices can connect to (in the days of mobile iPhone and Android hot spots, this seems like a pretty unnecessary feature).
I would imagine that Ford is already sweating the self-server USB updates enough that they wouldn't want to risk over-the-air updates on the first go-round.
Give it a few years.
no, really. no, not like that. I was just running this firmware update and now there's a note on the dash telling me there was a problem and I need to restart my car? but when I turn the key it won't start anymore?
I work for the Department of Redundancy Department.
Or, if they could be updated like the Kindle (3G or WiFi), Ford could handle them all without the owner getting involved. And they wouldn't need to mail out 30,000 USB sticks or CDs.
Plus, Ford could then get real feedback from how the car is performing.
Because no one ever took advantage of short-sighted manufacturers that aren't security-conscious to do anything malicious to a car. Oh, wait... Also, awesome insurance scam in the works if you can do a hostile takeover of a rich guy's car (the ones that will probably have cars with Wi-Fi) and make him get into a rear-end accident. BAM! Sweet-ass cash truck from his rich guy insurance agency. No cop will believe "My car got hacked."
Goodbye Magnuson-Moss, it was nice knowing you! A service pack for your car. Good luck with that. What if it bricks your car? How much does a replacement dashboard computer cost after warranty, due to a faulty update? Who is liable for that if it happens?
Has anyone seen the EULA for this thing? If it isn't significantly different from normal software EULAs, I'm avoiding this sort of technology like the plague.
seems more like the sort of thing that should be done routinely when you get your maintenance done, but then mechanic shops would need to have computer techs on staff, and replacement parts for when things go badly.
...in the JD Power IQS Customer Satisfaction Rankings: ... Not surprisingly, MyFord Touch was the biggest contributor to Ford's fall from grace. "
"Ford went from a fifth place ranking in the 2011 J.D. Power Initial Quality Study to a mediocre 23rd place showing this year. Sister-brand Lincoln took a similar nosedive, falling from eighth place all the way down to 17th place this year.
And who designed the MyFord touch? Give you one guess.
They should have put Wi-Fi onboard. Park the car in your garage or driveway, hope on your home network, voila.
I enjoyed this typo. It is eerily appropriate.
There is no friggin way i would let Microsoft anywhere near my car. They have a much too bad track record for that. This is something that makes me take two large steps away from any Ford car. I was entertaining getting a Ford but after having read this, no way in hell.
HTTP/1.1 400
Or, if they could be updated like the Kindle (3G or WiFi), Ford could handle them all without the owner getting involved. And they wouldn't need to mail out 30,000 USB sticks or CDs.
Plus, Ford could then get real feedback from how the car is performing.
Because no one ever took advantage of short-sighted manufacturers that aren't security-conscious to do anything malicious to a car. Oh, wait...
Also, awesome insurance scam in the works if you can do a hostile takeover of a rich guy's car (the ones that will probably have cars with Wi-Fi) and make him get into a rear-end accident. BAM! Sweet-ass cash truck from his rich guy insurance agency. No cop will believe "My car got hacked."
A USB stick that arrives through the mail is hardly more secure than a Wifi update. It could even be less secure since an attacker could drop 10,000 of them in the mail anonymously without having to risk physical proximity to the car he's trying to hack.
Hopefully Ford uses digital signatures to validate the integrity of an update before the car will accept it, but signature validation works equally well (or poorly) whether its a USB Flash update or Wifi update.
Whoa guys! Ford has been allowing end user firmware upgrades since the SYNC system was rolled out. The salesman even told me how to do it when we bought my wife's car two years ago. I've even done it myself through the Ford website. Also note, that this upgrade does not change the ECU, only the SYNC system. Also note, that this mass USB stick mailing is for MyFordTouch, not SYNC (MyFordTouch is built on top of the SYNC system, but includes a touchscreen, and are commonly confused).
In summary:
User firmware upgrades !new
User firmware upgrades !experimental
Mass USB mailings !SYNC
The only thing experimental is the mass mailing of USB sticks.
One of our competitors trademarked the term "hypothesis". From now on, we will call them "boneheaded ideas".
Either one is highly vulnerable to bad drivers.
Slow down, cowboy! It has been 4 hours since you last posted. You must wait another few hours.
Firmware updates are already routine in dealership stops. If you have a recently-built car that you take to the dealership for service, and you look closely at the invoice, you'll often see a handful of "recalls" that were done for free, and that the service advisor didn't even mention. Most of these are firmware fixes.
My brand new luxury car has an annoying problem with the transmission not wanting to downshift occasionally (you can see other threads about such problems, apparantly a common problem these days). My service advisor told me "Yeah, we know about this, the service manager has the same problem on his car. Sorry, we don't have a firmware update from the manufacturer yet." Brave new world.
Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
...will Brits have to retrunk them?
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