Incident: Hyundai Blue Link App Vulnerabilities Expose Vehicles to Hacking

Published Date: 2017-04-26

Postmortem Analysis
Timeline 1. The software failure incident with Hyundai's Blue Link connected-car mobile app happened in March [58641]. Therefore, the software failure incident occurred in March 2017.
System 1. Hyundai Blue Link connected-car mobile app versions 3.9.5 and 3.9.4 2. Communication channel endpoints verification 3. Hard-coded decryption password transmission [58641]
Responsible Organization 1. Hyundai - The software failure incident in this case was caused by vulnerabilities in Hyundai's Blue Link connected-car mobile app, specifically due to the lack of verification of communication channel endpoints and the use of a hard-coded decryption password [58641].
Impacted Organization 1. Hyundai owners [58641]
Software Causes 1. The software causes of the failure incident were: - A "man-in-the-middle" vulnerability due to the app not verifying communications channel endpoints, allowing unauthorized access [Article 58641]. - The use of a hard-coded decryption password in the app, making it possible for attackers to grab the decryption key and access user accounts [Article 58641].
Non-software Causes 1. Lack of proper verification of communication channel endpoints in the app [Article 58641] 2. Use of a hard-coded decryption password in the app [Article 58641]
Impacts 1. The software failure incident in Hyundai's Blue Link connected-car mobile app exposed vulnerabilities that could allow unauthorized individuals to access certain vehicle functions [58641]. 2. The vulnerabilities included a "man-in-the-middle" vulnerability and the use of a hard-coded decryption password, potentially compromising user accounts [58641]. 3. The incident required owners to update their apps immediately to patch the security holes [58641]. 4. Although the potential impacts of the vulnerabilities were limited, unauthorized access could lead to car theft or other risks such as draining the gas tank or filling a garage with carbon monoxide [58641].
Preventions 1. Implementing proper endpoint verification in the app's communication channels could have prevented the "man-in-the-middle" vulnerability [Article 58641]. 2. Avoiding the use of hard-coded decryption passwords and ensuring secure transmission of encrypted passwords to the cloud services could have enhanced the security of the app [Article 58641].
Fixes 1. Updating the Blue Link connected-car mobile app to version 3.9.6 to patch up the vulnerabilities [58641].
References 1. Researchers working with the cybersecurity firm Rapid7 [Article 58641]

Software Taxonomy of Faults

Category Option Rationale
Recurring one_organization (a) The software failure incident related to security vulnerabilities in the Hyundai Blue Link connected-car mobile app has happened within the same organization. The vulnerabilities in versions 3.9.5 and 3.9.4 of the app were patched in version 3.9.6 to address the issues [58641]. This indicates that Hyundai experienced a similar security flaw within its own product, prompting the need for an immediate update to mitigate the risks.
Phase (Design/Operation) design (a) The software failure incident in the article is related to the design phase. The vulnerabilities in Hyundai's Blue Link connected-car mobile app (versions 3.9.5 and 3.9.4) were due to design flaws in the app's security features. Specifically, the issues included a "man-in-the-middle" vulnerability and the use of a hard-coded decryption password, which were identified by researchers working with the cybersecurity firm Rapid7. These design flaws allowed unauthorized individuals to potentially access certain vehicle functions by exploiting weaknesses in the app's communication and encryption mechanisms [Article 58641].
Boundary (Internal/External) within_system (a) The software failure incident reported in Article 58641 was within the system. The vulnerabilities in Hyundai's Blue Link connected-car mobile app, such as the "man-in-the-middle" vulnerability and the hard-coded decryption password issue, were internal to the app itself. These vulnerabilities allowed unauthorized access to certain vehicle functions due to flaws in the app's design and implementation [58641].
Nature (Human/Non-human) non-human_actions (a) The software failure incident in the article was primarily due to non-human actions. The vulnerabilities in Hyundai's Blue Link connected-car mobile app, such as the "man-in-the-middle" vulnerability and the hard-coded decryption password issue, were identified by researchers working with the cybersecurity firm Rapid7 [Article 58641]. These vulnerabilities were inherent in the software design and implementation, not introduced by human actions.
Dimension (Hardware/Software) hardware (a) The software failure incident in Article 58641 was primarily due to hardware-related vulnerabilities. The vulnerabilities in Hyundai's Blue Link connected-car mobile app were related to hardware aspects such as the app not verifying communication channel endpoints and the use of a hard-coded decryption password. These hardware-related issues allowed potential attackers to gain unauthorized access to certain vehicle functions by exploiting weaknesses in the app's design and implementation [58641].
Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) malicious (a) The software failure incident in Article 58641 was malicious in nature. The vulnerabilities in Hyundai's Blue Link connected-car mobile app were discovered by researchers working with the cybersecurity firm Rapid7. These vulnerabilities could allow unscrupulous individuals to access certain vehicle functions by exploiting a "man-in-the-middle" vulnerability and a hard-coded decryption password issue. The presence of these vulnerabilities indicates that the failure was due to contributing factors introduced by humans with the intent to harm the system [58641].
Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) poor_decisions (a) The software failure incident related to the Hyundai Blue Link connected-car mobile app was primarily due to poor decisions made in the app's design and implementation. The vulnerabilities, such as the "man-in-the-middle" vulnerability and the hard-coded decryption password, were a result of inadequate security measures and oversight in the development process. These poor decisions introduced significant security concerns that could potentially allow unauthorized access to certain vehicle functions [Article 58641].
Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) development_incompetence (a) The software failure incident in Article 58641 was related to development incompetence. The vulnerabilities in Hyundai's Blue Link connected-car mobile app, which could allow unauthorized access to certain vehicle functions, were discovered by researchers working with the cybersecurity firm Rapid7. These vulnerabilities included a "man-in-the-middle" vulnerability due to the app not verifying communication channel endpoints and the use of a hard-coded decryption password, which posed security risks [58641]. These issues indicate a lack of professional competence in ensuring secure development practices within the app.
Duration temporary The software failure incident described in Article 58641 can be categorized as a temporary failure. The vulnerabilities in Hyundai's Blue Link connected-car mobile app were identified in versions 3.9.5 and 3.9.4, prompting the release of version 3.9.6 as a patch to address these security concerns. Owners were urged to update their apps immediately to mitigate the risks associated with the vulnerabilities. The specific vulnerabilities, such as the "man-in-the-middle" vulnerability and the hard-coded decryption password issue, were identified and addressed through the software update, indicating that the failure was temporary and could be resolved by applying the patch [58641].
Behaviour omission, value, other (a) crash: The article does not mention any system crash where the software fails due to losing state and not performing any of its intended functions. (b) omission: The software failure incident in the article is related to security vulnerabilities in Hyundai's Blue Link connected-car mobile app. The vulnerabilities allowed unauthorized individuals to access certain vehicle functions due to the omission of proper verification of communication channel endpoints and the use of a hard-coded decryption password [58641]. (c) timing: The article does not mention any timing-related failure where the system performs its intended functions correctly but too late or too early. (d) value: The software failure incident falls under this category as the system performed its intended functions incorrectly by allowing unauthorized access to vehicle functions due to security vulnerabilities [58641]. (e) byzantine: The article does not describe the software failure incident as having inconsistent responses or interactions, so it does not fall under the byzantine behavior category. (f) other: The other behavior exhibited by the software failure incident is related to security concerns, specifically vulnerabilities that could potentially compromise the security and privacy of vehicle owners using the Blue Link app [58641].

IoT System Layer

Layer Option Rationale
Perception sensor, network_communication (a) The failure was related to the perception layer of the cyber physical system that failed due to contributing factors introduced by sensor error. The vulnerabilities in Hyundai's Blue Link connected-car mobile app were related to a "man-in-the-middle" vulnerability and the use of a hard-coded decryption password, indicating issues with how the app handled sensor data and communication with external sources [Article 58641].
Communication link_level, connectivity_level The software failure incident reported in Article 58641 was related to the communication layer of the cyber physical system that failed. Specifically, the vulnerabilities in Hyundai's Blue Link connected-car mobile app were related to both the link level and connectivity level of the communication system. 1. Link Level: The first vulnerability mentioned in the article was a "man-in-the-middle" vulnerability, which existed because the app did not verify communications channel endpoints. This vulnerability allowed an attacker to intercept the communication stream and gain access to certain vehicle functions without the app detecting it [Article 58641]. 2. Connectivity Level: The second security issue involved the use of a hard-coded decryption password. Even though the app used encrypted passwords, the key required to decrypt those passwords was coded directly into the transmission to Hyundai's cloud services. This flaw in the network communication introduced a vulnerability that could be exploited by an attacker to access a user's account [Article 58641].
Application TRUE The software failure incident described in Article 58641 was related to the application layer of the cyber physical system. The vulnerabilities in Hyundai's Blue Link connected-car mobile app, specifically the "man-in-the-middle" vulnerability and the hard-coded decryption password issue, were due to bugs and security flaws within the application itself ([58641]).

Other Details

Category Option Rationale
Consequence property, non-human, theoretical_consequence (a) death: There were no reports of people losing their lives due to the software failure incident mentioned in the article [58641]. (b) harm: The article did not mention any physical harm caused to individuals due to the software failure incident [58641]. (c) basic: There was no indication that people's access to food or shelter was impacted by the software failure incident [58641]. (d) property: The software failure incident could potentially impact people's property as locking and unlocking a car remotely could be used as a precursor for theft [58641]. (e) delay: The article did not mention any delays caused by the software failure incident [58641]. (f) non-human: The software failure incident impacted non-human entities, specifically vehicles that could be remotely accessed and controlled [58641]. (g) no_consequence: The article did not mention any observed consequences of the software failure incident [58641]. (h) theoretical_consequence: The article discussed potential consequences of the software failure incident, such as the possibility of theft or remote starting a vehicle leading to draining the gas tank or filling a garage with carbon monoxide [58641]. (i) other: The article did not mention any other specific consequences of the software failure incident [58641].
Domain transportation (a) The software failure incident reported in Article 58641 is related to the transportation industry. The incident involves vulnerabilities in Hyundai's Blue Link connected-car mobile app, which allows owners to remotely lock, unlock, and start their vehicles [58641].

Sources

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