Unencrypted TPMS signals enable mass driver tracking, study finds

Researchers have demonstrated that data transmissions from tyre pressure sensors can be captured along roads to track drivers. The study notes that TPMS transmissions are sent in the clear and include a unique identifier, exposing the signals to eavesdropping and potential tracking. Academics from Spain, Switzerland and Luxembourg deployed five receivers and, over 10 weeks, captured over 6 million TPMS messages from approximately 20,000 vehicles.

Because the identifier does not change over the life of a tyre, the signals could be matched to cars and used to track a set of verified vehicles. Each receiver costs roughly $100 to deploy, making the system affordable and prompting calls for car makers to rethink plain text wireless transmissions.

The researchers warn that attackers could scale this approach for mass tracking, and could combine passive tracking with active spoofing to disrupt operations, or link TPMS sensors to a person of interest using publicly available software-defined radios. according to SecurityWeek, the academics emphasise that TPMS transmissions lack encryption or secure mechanisms and reveal potentially sensitive information about drivers.