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How a Leading Car Company Saved Millions by Updating Firmware with CustomUSB
Last year around this time, a major automotive giant found itself in a tough spot. They were aware of something troubling regarding a specific vehicle upgrade that their customers didn’t know about yet. Security experts had identified vulnerabilities in the firmware of **over a million vehicles**.
According to the recall notice, the issue lay within the radios of these affected cars. The software had weaknesses that could allow malicious third parties to infiltrate certain vehicle control systems, including braking, steering, the engine, and the transmission. If attackers exploited these flaws, they could seize control of these vital systems, potentially leading to accidents or even worse outcomes.
Imagine cruising down the highway when, out of nowhere, an unseen adversary remotely disables your brakes, sending you hurtling into a ditch. This isn’t a scene from a horror flick or a modern retelling of Stephen King’s *Christine*, where a car becomes possessed by supernatural forces. No, this is real-world danger. Fortunately, **this story has a positive resolution**, thanks to CustomUSB.
The tech wizards at CustomUSB joined forces with the automaker (whose name remains confidential due to an NDA) to devise a swift and efficient method of distributing a safe and cost-effective software patch to all affected customers. By securely loading the firmware update onto our highly dependable USB drives, we offered a straightforward solution to a complex problem.
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**Beware of Vulnerable Vehicles**
Let’s face it—when you hear the term "computer security," cars probably aren’t the first thing that comes to mind. However, last summer, approximately **half a million vulnerable vehicles** were on our roads!
The FBI and other regulatory bodies have cautioned that motor vehicles are becoming increasingly susceptible to malware attacks carried out by remote hackers. As car hacking continues to rise, they emphasize that ensuring your software stays up-to-date should be a top priority for any business, especially car manufacturers.
**So, what exactly went wrong with the radios in these vehicles?**
To begin with, let’s talk about the optional upgrade that introduced the security flaw—the user interface. Available through the radio in the dashboard, this wireless, internet-connected computer feature requires routine system updates, just like any other software. (By the way, USB is the easiest and most economical way to handle these updates—but I’ll circle back to that shortly. Let’s first focus on the solution.)
In this case, researchers uncovered that a wireless malware attack could bypass existing management software and gain access to critical controls, making the vehicle unoperable and endangering both passengers and nearby areas. Consequently, the company urgently needed to discreetly deliver a fix to affected customers.
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**A Simple, Secure Fix**
The automaker crafted a software patch to safeguard against the malware threat, which could otherwise tamper with the dashboard or track GPS coordinates via the internet connection. Release notes indicated that the update included “enhanced radio security measures to minimize the likelihood of unauthorized access to vehicle systems.â€
CustomUSB swiftly developed a dependable USB device containing the fix. The carmaker then sent these USB drives to their impacted customers, encouraging them to install the update promptly. Other options considered were visiting a dealership to wait for a technician to apply the update—a costly choice for the company and inconvenient for the customer—or downloading the patch onto personal USB drives from a website. The latter required at least 4GB of available storage, an hour of free time, and far more patience than most people possess.
Working together, the automaker and CustomUSB simplified the update process by mailing preloaded flash drives directly to their customers. All the drivers had to do was insert the USB drive into their vehicle’s port. About fifteen minutes later, the patch was applied, and everything returned to normal.
For the hundreds of thousands of drivers whose vehicles were vulnerable, the patch delivered via CustomUSB flash drives made all the difference. It protected their vehicles from potential cyberattacks while saving the automaker millions of dollars and preserving its reputation.
If you’re looking for a seamless and secure way to distribute software fixes—or any kind of data—to your clients, reach out to CustomUSB today. We’ll help you design a custom solution or craft your own branded flash drives.
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As someone who has witnessed firsthand how technology can bridge gaps and solve real-world problems, I’m proud of what we accomplished. It goes to show that innovation isn’t just about creating flashy new gadgets—it’s about finding practical answers to everyday challenges.