Truck-to-truck Malware Could Infect Entire US Commercial Fleet

More from the article...

... In a paper presented at the 2024 Network and Distributed System Security Symposium, associate professor Jeremy Daily and systems engineering graduate students Jake Jepson and Rik Chatterjee demonstrated how ELDs can be accessed over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connections to take control of a truck, manipulate data, and spread malware between vehicles.
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"These findings highlight an urgent need to improve the security posture in ELD systems," the trio wrote [PDF].

The authors did not specify brands or models of ELDs that are vulnerable to the security flaws they highlight in the paper. But they do note there's not too much diversity of products on the market. While there are some 880 devices registered, "only a few tens of distinct ELD models" have hit the road in commercial trucks.

A federal mandate requires most heavy-duty trucks to be equipped with ELDs, which track driving hours. These systems also log data on engine operation, vehicle movement and distances driven " but they aren't required to have tested safety controls built in.

And according to the researchers, they can be wirelessly manipulated by another car on the road to, for example, force a truck to pull over. ...

... There's a decent chance you've traveled next to a self-driving 18-wheeler on a Texas interstate.

The reason you may not have noticed, said Mike Arellano, is because they travel with backup drivers sitting in the seats -- not controlling the wheel but ready to take over in case of a problem. Arellano is the Austin deputy district engineer with the Texas Department of Transportation and is helping lead the charge to keep up with -- and enhance -- the technology used in vehicles on Texas roads.

TxDOT is rolling out a "smart freight corridor" on a 21-mile stretch of State Highway 130 from Georgetown to Del Valle, Arellano explained.

The focus of the project, announced in November 2023, is to install technology along the highway that self-driving vehicles can access to travel more safely. Sensors, cameras and other equipment mounted on poles spaced roughly 650 feet apart will provide real-time notifications about road conditions. ...

I have oft wondered why railroads are not more automated?

I mean, there's no steering involved, as there is with the big trucks. The rails handle the steering.

All that needs to be done is know where the train is and watch out for things on the tracks.

@#8 ... There is indeed more to it but honestly, I don't know how much is actually automated these days. ...

Yup, I agree there is more to it, especially in the beta-testing area.