CAR TYRE SENSORS CAN BE USED TO TRACK DRIVERS WITHOUT THEIR KNOWLEDGE

Summary from the TLDR InfoSec newsletter

Researchers from IMDEA Networks Institute demonstrated that Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS) in vehicles from Toyota, Mercedes, Renault, and Hyundai broadcast unencrypted, static sensor IDs that can be captured with ~$100 SDR hardware at distances exceeding 50 meters, enabling persistent vehicle fingerprinting via Jaccard index correlation across a network of roadside receivers. Over a ten-week field study, the team collected more than 6 million messages from more than 20,000 vehicles, confirming that TPMS data can be used to reconstruct detailed movement patterns and daily routines. Researchers are calling on manufacturers and policymakers to mandate rotating sensor IDs, as current EU and UK regulations legally require TPMS but do not mandate encryption or ID randomization.