Porsche outage in Russia serves as a reminder of the risks in connected vehicle security

Hundreds of Porsche cars in Russia became undrivable after their factory-installed satellite security system malfunctioned, owners and dealers report. The problem appears to be caused by the Vehicle Tracking System (VTS), an onboard module, and according to RBC the incident shows that any Porsche can be immobilised through its factory alarm system.

Some owners managed to restore their cars by disabling or rebooting the VTS, while others succeeded after disconnecting the battery for hours, the Rolf dealership told RBK. A Rolf representative told RBC that all Porsche models are affected and could automatically lock themselves, and the outage might have been deliberate, though there is no evidence to support this claim.

The episode highlights the fragility of security-critical vehicle systems and the potential risk they introduce when they become a single point of failure, underscoring the need for resilience, fail-safes, and transparent incident response. Porsche has not commented on the issue, and while it suspended sales in Russia after the 2022 invasion, it still owns three local subsidiaries.