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Tesla Model 3 hack puts YouTube and Ubuntu on the dash

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Ubuntu

While Tesla – like every automaker – is happy to talk about performance figures and range of its EVs, it’s typically less vocal about the components it’s using. As the focus on in-car infotainment systems has increased over the past few years, however, more and more car buyers are asking questions about the capabilities (and upgrade potential) of their dashboard systems. Still, few automakers are discussing specifics yet.

That didn’t stop one Model 3 owner, and member of the Tesla Reddit forum, from going digging. He managed to SSH into the infotainment system and get Ubuntu running. That meant he could access YouTube – something the stock Tesla browser doesn’t permit, for safety reasons – as well as get a read-out of the hardware specifications.

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Later coverage

  • Someone Hacked The Tesla Model 3 To Run YouTube And Ubuntu Linux

    Tesla’s "people’s car." the Model 3, was thought to be harder to crack into than the Model S and Model X that proved to be a field day for hackers. However, we’re now seeing a Model 3 owner on Reddit showcase his ability to run YouTube and Ubuntu on his car.

Some very late coverage

  • Hacker Installs Linux On His Tesla Model 3

    Smartphones have changed the way we live life. Along with the new tech, early on, we got an entire subculture of hackers who wanted to unlock their smartphones to use on other carriers or with different software. This same trend continues today, but now also with our ? cars?

    Redditor trsohmers took on the challenge of hacking the infotainment system in his Tesla Model 3 and was able to gain root access ? also known as admin access, for the Windows users in the room. Ironically, he wasn?t trying to do anything malicious with the car, but something much less exciting. ?First real milestone I want to hit first is adding some more ROMs to Tesla?s MAME system,? trsohmers wrote in a forum post.

On Slashdot today

  • Tesla Model 3 Modded To Run Ubuntu

    CleanTechnica is reporting that someone hacked the infotainment system of a Tesla Model 3 and got root access and installed Linux distribution Ubuntu. Redditor trsohmers is able to show an Ubuntu command shell running alongside the Tesla OS. Since Tesla supports a browser that allows you to visit any site, could this be leveraged into remote hacks? It could also mean that if Tesla sells a long-range version of the Model 3, but limits it via software, people might try to remove the block. One could potentially get a 15-day trial of full self-driving for free and extend that 15-day window forever. At least he had some guts messing with $50,000 hardware that phones home all the time. Will Tesla brick his car to attempt to disprove the security issue?

Tesla Owner Successfully Dual-boots Linux and TeslaOS

  • Tesla Owner Successfully Dual-boots Linux and TeslaOS

    When it comes to exploring the boundaries of technology, some people tend to go very far in their approach. One Tesla model 3 owner dedicated to try and install the Ubuntu operating system on his car. Surprisingly, this works without too many problems and doesn’t necessarily cause any stability issues. Although not everyone wants Linux in their car, the concept creates a lot of new potential opportunities.

  • Hacker Performs Awesome Tesla Model 3 Ubuntu Linux Infotainment System Mod

    There's a lot to like about Tesla's Model 3, but as with most things with prepackaged entertainment (or infotainment) systems, even this beautiful electric car leave people yearning for a bit more. In the case of one reddit user, Tesla's infotainment system didn't satiate his/her entertainment hunger, so they decided to do what's perhaps one of the most interesting dual-OS installs ever, installing Ubuntu alongside Tesla's OS in their own car.

    Explicit details about how this mod was pulled off are not clear, but it's not going to be one for the faint of heart you can be sure. Digging deep into a car's OS means that a breaking something could lead to an essential bricking, although something tells us Tesla itself would have the capabilities to restore the OS in the event something went way wrong. But, as with most things outside the warranty if this was your doing, don't expect a modest bill.

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