Incident: Decryption of Tesla's Driving Data-Storage System by Netherlands Forensic Institute

Published Date: 2021-10-21

Postmortem Analysis
Timeline 1. The software failure incident involving Tesla's driving data-storage system being decrypted by the Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI) happened on October 21, 2021, as reported in Article [119638, 120463].
System 1. Tesla's driving data-storage system [119638, 120463] 2. Autopilot system [119638, 120463]
Responsible Organization 1. The Tesla driver using Autopilot and following another vehicle too closely in busy traffic [120463] 2. Tesla's Autopilot technology [119638] 3. Tesla's data-storage system encryption [119638]
Impacted Organization 1. Drivers and passengers of Tesla vehicles [119638, 120463] 2. The Dutch government's forensic lab (Netherlands Forensic Institute) [119638, 120463] 3. Investigators and traffic accident analysts [119638, 120463]
Software Causes 1. The failure incident was caused by the decryption of Tesla's driving data-storage system by the Netherlands Forensic Institute, revealing information about accidents and data on Tesla's Autopilot technology [119638, 120463]. 2. The incident was also attributed to the fact that Tesla encrypts its coded driving data to keep its technology secure, which led to the need for reverse engineering of data logs to extract information for investigation [119638, 120463]. 3. The failure incident was further exacerbated by the lack of detailed data provided by Tesla in response to data requests from authorities, prompting the need for decryption to access more comprehensive data [120463].
Non-software Causes 1. Following distance between vehicles in busy traffic leading to a collision [Article 120463] 2. Lack of detailed data provided by Tesla to investigators [Article 120463]
Impacts 1. The software failure incident involving the decryption of Tesla's driving data-storage system by the Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI) revealed a significant amount of information about Tesla vehicles, particularly related to the Autopilot system and driving behavior data [119638, 120463]. 2. The incident highlighted that Tesla cars store a wealth of data from accidents, including speed, accelerator pedal position, steering wheel angle, and brake usage, which can be stored for over a year [119638, 120463]. 3. The decrypted data showed that Tesla vehicles store information about the operation of the Autopilot system, which can be crucial for forensic investigators and traffic accident analysts in investigating fatal traffic accidents or accidents with injuries [119638, 120463]. 4. The incident raised questions about responsibility in cases where accidents occur due to the vehicle following too closely in traffic, leading to discussions on whether the car or the driver is responsible for maintaining a safe following distance [120463]. 5. The failure incident also highlighted the importance of detailed data requests and the need for manufacturers to provide comprehensive data to investigators, as Tesla had previously supplied only a specific subset of signals, omitting potentially useful data [120463].
Preventions 1. Implementing stricter data encryption measures to prevent unauthorized access to the driving data-storage system [119638, 120463]. 2. Conducting thorough testing and validation of the Autopilot system to ensure it can accurately detect and respond to various driving scenarios, including sudden braking by other vehicles [120463]. 3. Providing comprehensive data to authorities in response to requests, rather than selectively providing data, to aid in investigations and prevent potential gaps in information [120463].
Fixes 1. Implementing stricter data encryption measures to prevent unauthorized access to driving data [119638, 120463] 2. Enhancing the data storage system to ensure all relevant data is captured and provided to investigators upon request [119638, 120463] 3. Conducting thorough investigations into incidents involving the Autopilot system to identify and address any software bugs or faults that may have contributed to accidents [119638, 120463] 4. Regularly updating and improving the Autopilot system to enhance its ability to detect and respond to potential hazards on the road [119638, 120463]
References 1. The Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI) [Article 119638, Article 120463] 2. Tesla Inc [Article 119638, Article 120463] 3. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) [Article 119638, Article 120463] 4. Chinese media [Article 119638] 5. National Transportation Safety Board [Article 119638]

Software Taxonomy of Faults

Category Option Rationale
Recurring one_organization (a) The software failure incident having happened again at one_organization: The incident of Tesla's driving data-storage system being decrypted by the Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI) reveals that similar incidents have happened before with Tesla vehicles. The article mentions various fatal accidents involving Tesla vehicles and the Autopilot technology, such as the case of Gao Yaning in China in 2016 and Walter Huang in California in 2018. These incidents highlight the potential risks and failures associated with Tesla's self-driving assist system [119638]. (b) The software failure incident having happened again at multiple_organization: The articles do not provide information about similar incidents happening at other organizations or with their products and services.
Phase (Design/Operation) operation (a) The articles do not provide specific information about a software failure incident related to the design phase of system development, system updates, or procedures to operate or maintain the system. (b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase is highlighted in the articles. The Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI) decrypted Tesla's driving data-storage system to uncover information that could be used to investigate serious accidents. The investigation showed that in a collision involving a Tesla driver using Autopilot and a car in front that suddenly braked hard, the Tesla driver reacted within the expected response time to a warning to resume control of the car. However, the collision occurred because the Tesla was following the other vehicle too closely in busy traffic, raising questions about responsibility for the following distance [119638, 120463].
Boundary (Internal/External) within_system (a) within_system: The software failure incident related to Tesla's driving data-storage system being decrypted by the Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI) falls under the within_system boundary. The NFI decrypted Tesla's closely guarded driving data-storage system by reverse engineering data logs present in Tesla vehicles to objectively investigate them [119638, 120463]. This decryption revealed a wealth of information stored within Tesla vehicles, including data about the operation of the Autopilot system, speed, accelerator pedal position, steering wheel angle, and brake usage [119638, 120463]. The failure in this case originated from within the system itself, as the NFI was able to access and analyze the data stored within Tesla's system to uncover additional information for forensic investigations.
Nature (Human/Non-human) non-human_actions, human_actions (a) The articles discuss a software failure incident related to non-human actions. The incident involves the decryption of Tesla's driving data-storage system by the Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI) through a process of reverse engineering the data logs present in Tesla vehicles [119638, 120463]. This decryption revealed a significant amount of data stored by Tesla vehicles, including information about the operation of the Autopilot system, speed, accelerator pedal position, steering wheel angle, and brake usage. The data collected through sensors and cameras on the vehicle is used by Tesla to refine its self-driving assist system. The failure in this case was not due to human actions but rather the ability of the NFI to decrypt and access the data stored in the system. (b) The articles also mention a software failure incident related to human actions. In one of the investigated collisions involving a Tesla driver using Autopilot, it was found that the collision occurred because the Tesla was following the other vehicle too closely in busy traffic, raising questions about responsibility for the following distance - whether it lies with the car or the driver [120463]. This incident highlights how human actions, such as driving behavior and response to warnings, can contribute to software-related failures in autonomous driving systems like Tesla's Autopilot.
Dimension (Hardware/Software) software (a) The software failure incident occurring due to hardware: - The articles do not provide information about the software failure incident occurring due to contributing factors originating in hardware. Therefore, it is unknown. (b) The software failure incident occurring due to software: - The software failure incident reported in the articles is related to the decryption of Tesla's driving data-storage system by the Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI) [119638, 120463]. - The failure in this case is due to contributing factors that originate in software, specifically in Tesla's data-storage system software, which was decrypted by the NFI to uncover information about accidents and Autopilot data stored in Tesla vehicles. - The NFI "reverse engineered" data logs present in Tesla vehicles to objectively investigate them, indicating that the failure was related to software manipulation and decryption. - The decrypted data revealed that Tesla vehicles store information about the operation of the Autopilot system and other driving data, which can be crucial for forensic investigations and accident analysis. - The failure was not attributed to hardware issues but rather to the software encryption and data storage mechanisms implemented by Tesla.
Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) non-malicious (a) The articles report on a non-malicious software failure incident. The failure incident involves the decryption of Tesla's driving data-storage system by the Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI) to uncover information related to accidents and the Autopilot system. The NFI "reverse engineered" data logs from Tesla vehicles to objectively investigate them, indicating a non-malicious intent to access the data for forensic purposes [119638, 120463].
Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) unknown (a) The articles do not provide information indicating that the software failure incident was due to poor decisions. (b) The software failure incident related to the decryption of Tesla's driving data-storage system by the Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI) was not due to poor decisions but rather a deliberate action by the NFI to decrypt the data logs present in Tesla vehicles in order to objectively investigate them [119638, 120463].
Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) accidental (a) The articles do not provide information about the software failure incident occurring due to development incompetence. (b) The software failure incident related to accidental factors is highlighted in the articles. The incident involved a collision between a Tesla driver using Autopilot and a car in front of it that suddenly braked hard. The investigation revealed that the Tesla driver reacted within the expected response time to a warning to resume control of the car, but the collision occurred because the Tesla was following the other vehicle too closely in busy traffic. This situation raised questions about responsibility for the following distance - whether it lies with the car or the driver [119638, 120463].
Duration permanent (a) The software failure incident in the articles appears to be permanent. The Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI) was able to decrypt Tesla's driving data-storage system, revealing a significant amount of information that could be used for investigating serious accidents [119638, 120463]. The NFI's decryption of the data allowed for a more detailed analysis of the data stored by Tesla vehicles, indicating a permanent failure in the system's security measures that previously kept the data encrypted and inaccessible to investigators. (b) The software failure incident does not appear to be temporary as there is no indication in the articles that the decryption of Tesla's driving data-storage system was a one-time or limited occurrence. The NFI's ability to reverse engineer the data logs in Tesla vehicles suggests a permanent breach in the system's security measures, allowing for ongoing access to the data stored in the vehicles [119638, 120463].
Behaviour crash, omission, other (a) crash: The articles describe incidents where Tesla vehicles were involved in fatal crashes while the Autopilot system was engaged. For example, in one case, a Tesla Model S accelerated to 71 mph seconds before crashing into a freeway barrier, resulting in the death of the driver [119638]. (b) omission: The articles mention an investigation by the Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI) involving a collision where a Tesla driver using Autopilot failed to maintain a safe following distance from the car in front, leading to a collision. The investigation raised questions about responsibility for maintaining the following distance [120463]. (c) timing: There is no specific mention of a failure related to timing in the articles. (d) value: The articles discuss how the NFI decrypted Tesla's driving data-storage system, revealing information about the operation of the Autopilot system. This data could be crucial for investigating accidents and determining if the system was functioning correctly [119638, 120463]. (e) byzantine: The articles do not mention any behavior related to a byzantine failure. (f) other: The articles highlight how Tesla encrypts its driving data to protect technology and driver privacy. The NFI found that Tesla had complied with data requests but had left out a significant amount of data that could have been useful for investigations. By decrypting Tesla's code, the NFI gained more insight into the data stored by the carmaker, allowing for more detailed data requests [119638, 120463].

IoT System Layer

Layer Option Rationale
Perception embedded_software (a) sensor: The articles mention that Tesla vehicles collect data through sensors and cameras on the vehicle, which is used for the Autopilot system. The data collected includes information such as speed, accelerator pedal position, steering wheel angle, and brake usage [119638, 120463]. (b) actuator: The articles do not specifically mention any failure related to the actuator in the Tesla vehicles. (c) processing_unit: The articles do not provide information about any failure related to the processing unit in the Tesla vehicles. (d) network_communication: The articles do not discuss any failure related to network communication in the Tesla vehicles. (e) embedded_software: The articles mention that the Netherlands Forensic Institute decrypted Tesla's driving data-storage system, which contains information on accidents and data on the company's Autopilot. This indicates that there may have been a failure related to the embedded software that led to the need for forensic investigation and decryption of the data [119638, 120463].
Communication unknown The software failure incident reported in the provided articles does not directly relate to a failure at the communication layer of the cyber-physical system. The focus of the articles is on the decryption of Tesla's driving data-storage system by the Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI) to uncover information related to accidents and the Autopilot system. The failure discussed in the articles is more related to data storage, data privacy, and the investigation of accidents involving Tesla vehicles rather than a failure at the communication layer of the cyber-physical system.
Application FALSE The software failure incident related to the application layer of the cyber physical system that failed can be inferred from the articles as follows: The failure incident involving Tesla's closely guarded driving data-storage system being decrypted by the Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI) [Article 119638, Article 120463] does not directly indicate a failure related to the application layer of the cyber physical system. The focus of the incident is on the decryption of driving data stored by Tesla vehicles, which is more related to data security and forensic analysis rather than a failure at the application layer. Therefore, based on the information provided in the articles, it is unknown whether the failure was related to the application layer of the cyber physical system as defined.

Other Details

Category Option Rationale
Consequence death, harm, unknown (a) death: People lost their lives due to the software failure - The articles mention several fatal accidents involving Tesla vehicles where individuals lost their lives due to incidents related to the Autopilot system [119638, 119638, 120463]. (b) harm: People were physically harmed due to the software failure - The articles discuss accidents where individuals were physically harmed, such as injuries sustained in crashes involving Tesla vehicles with the Autopilot engaged [119638, 120463].
Domain information, transportation, health (a) The failed system was related to the production and distribution of information as it involved decrypting Tesla's driving data-storage system to uncover information about accidents and the Autopilot system [119638, 120463]. (b) The failed system was also related to transportation as it involved investigating serious accidents involving Tesla vehicles and their Autopilot system [119638, 120463]. (j) The failed system was related to the health industry indirectly as it involved investigating fatal traffic accidents and injuries involving Tesla vehicles and their Autopilot system [119638, 120463].

Sources

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