Automotive IoT Security: Staying Safe in a Connected Car

For today’s hackers, mobile apps can turn smartphones into unlocking devices for your car whether they’re authorized or not. Car sharing apps can be hacked to find users’ routes, including how much they tipped their drivers. According to a survey from the RSA Conference in March, 84% of people know that the primary means of transportation they use everyday can be hacked remotely like the above two examples. Subscribe to Automation-Talk by Email.


The public is also getting a better sense of how such attacks can happen, as shown by the 82% of RSA respondents who felt that hacking mobile apps connected to their smartphone and car was the most likely point of entry. Any third-party apps could be dangerous, but third-party stores on your car’s infotainment system are typically easier to hack than the App Store on your smartphone.

According to the graphic below on application protection for connected cars, the abundance of microprocessors in modern vehicles greatly expands the number of attack points a hacker could make. Whether it’s another connected car, smartphone, or even a smart traffic light, there are plenty of potentially hackable external sources that could transmit information to your own connected vehicle every day.

I’m not sure how many consumers would end up jailbreaking their own car, but some of the other tips on the graphic are worth keeping in mind before you drive, like making sure you regularly check for updates on your car’s infotainment system.

Read More

Edit PLC & MODBUS Data using Delta Smart VIEWer Android Application

If you are having a Delta PLC and want to monitor the registers of PLC or want to edit them, then now you can do it by installing Delta Smart Viewer application on you Android Smartphones. With this Android app you can also change MODBUS device settings. This is a very handy and useful application from Delta and support all their PLC, whether its is AH series or DVP. This is very good application if you are monitoring temperature.

Subscribe to Automation-Talk by Email.
 

Image Source: Delta

 

With Delta Smart VIEWer, automation engineers can monitor and edit PLC and Modbus data via WiFi. Currently this application only support Wi-Fi. The monitored data is shown in run charts and after studying it users can easily and quickly master the current status and recorded trends of the equipment for proper on-site adjustment. And if change is needed he can do it directly from his Android smart phone.

Main Functions of Delta Smart VIEWer:

1. Monitors and edits PLC and Modbus data via Wi-Fi connection.

2. Monitored data is displayed and edited in run charts with clear data trends.

3. Monitored data is saved for adjustment references.

4. Connects Delta PLCs for detailed information via Wi-Fi connection.

5. Allows connection setting and data export/import for easy and fast monitoring

 

The size of this Android application is 1MB and it can be downloaded from Delta official website or from Google Play store. Currently this Android application works on Android 2.2 to Android 4.2. Link for downloads are given below.


Download from Delta website: Click Here

Download from Google Play: Click Here

How to do target settings in Delta Smart VIEWer

 

We tried to play with this application on our Android version 4.4.2 Smartphone and it works without error. Once you install this small and helpful application in your Smartphones through above links, you will be shown menu. There just select target setting if this is your first time.
 

 

Target setting has three main settings, one for Network, one for Device and last one for Update Interval.


Network: On network setting you will find option for IP, Port, Slave ID. Here just put the entry which you have done at your PLC end. If this setting is incorrect you won't be able to communicate with your PLC.


Device: In device setting you can choose your PLC make and their sub-type. You will see AH series and DVP series option here.

Update Interval: In update interval you can put timing in seconds and minutes. This is update time for your monitored value. Choose as per your need
 

 

After you have done above setting, you can now do setting for your register. Choose PLC register which you want to monitor in form of TAG. You can add multiple tags for PLC. Currently this version of Delta Smart viewer supports up to 10 devices (Both PLC and MODBUS device). This application has also facility to export/import profile, which makes it easy to configure other devices with same connection.

Let us know what are your views about this awesome Android application from Delta and if you have used it, do let us know. Hope Delta will bring more advance version of this application and will allow the connectivity also through 3G network.

Read More