Bitsight Finds Vehicle Gps Tracking System To Have Critical Vulnerabilities

According to BitSight's research, MiCODUS devices are deployed globally by individuals, organizations, and governments, including aerospace, energy, engineering, manufacturing, shipping, and more.

FREMONT, CA: BitSight found six severe vulnerabilities in the MiCODUS MV720 GPS Tracker, a popular GPS tracker used worldwide by consumers and institutions for tracking and managing vehicles. Threat actors could exploit the tracker not only to gain access to and control it but also to cut off fuel, physically stop vehicles, or monitor movement.

In addition to government, military, law enforcement agencies, and Fortune 1000 companies, MiCODUS manufactures based in Shenzhen, China, and supplies automotive electronics and accessories. MiCODUS MV720 GPS trackers feature a remote control, geofencing, fuel cutoff, and anti-theft features.

"If China can remotely control vehicles in the United States, we have a problem," said Richard Clarke, internationally renowned national security expert and former presidential advisor on cybersecurity. "With the fast growth in adoption of mobile devices and the desire for our society to be more connected, it is easy to overlook the fact that GPS tracking devices such as these can greatly increase cyber risk if they are not built with security in mind. BitSight's research findings highlight how having secure IoT infrastructure is even more critical when these vulnerabilities can easily be exploited to impact our personal safety and national security, and lead to extreme outcomes such as large-scale fleet management interruption and even loss of life."

According to BitSight's research, MiCODUS devices are deployed globally by individuals, organizations, and governments, including aerospace, energy, engineering, manufacturing, shipping, and more. There is no known workaround for the MiCODUS MV720 GPS trackers because of the severity and impact of these vulnerabilities.

"The vulnerabilities we discovered affecting the MiCODUS MV720 would allow for many possible attack scenarios where a bad actor could easily gain complete control over any GPS tracker of this type," concluded Pedro Umbelino, a principal security researcher at BitSight. "Unfortunately, these vulnerabilities are not difficult to exploit. For example, we discovered that the web interface and mobile app share the same default password, and the GPS tracker has commands that will work even without a password. Basic flaws in this vendor's overall system architecture raise significant questions about the vulnerability of other models."

"The vulnerabilities discovered by BitSight can directly impact our physical world, potentially resulting in disastrous consequences for individuals and organizations if not addressed," said BitSight CEO Stephen Harvey. "Our research highlights why it is critical for organizations to consider Internet of Things (IoT) devices in cyber resilience efforts. Implementing Internet-connected devices like the MiCODUS GPS trackers can expand an organization's attack surface and expose individual consumers to new risks. Understanding how IoT and other technologies can increase the potential to disrupt business continuity, damage a firm's reputation, and threaten human safety should be considered essential."