Human error to blame for errant ‘Mercedes me’ alerts
Users of Mercedes’ popular smartphone app were sent random, oddly-worded messages last weekMercedes-Benz has confirmed that users of its ‘Mercedes me Connect’ smartphone app were mistakenly sent incomplete alert messages this month.
The car-maker has also insisted the messages were not the result of hacking or the “influence of a third party”.
The Mercedes me app in the car-maker’s latest models provides users access to connected functions including the ability lock and unlock doors, or remotely start their vehicle to acclimatise the cabin temperature. In overseas markets, the app also allows valet parking in geofenced areas, among other features.
carsales has learned that last week an unidentified number of global Mercedes me users were sent incomplete one-word messages including “Hello” and “This”.
It is understood the messages were sent from Europe during the daytime, meaning many Australian users woke to the alerts in the middle of the night.
In a statement, a Mercedes-Benz spokesman confirmed the developments.
“A number of Mercedes me Connect smartphone app users have been incorrectly sent incomplete alert notifications,” the Mercedes-Benz spokesman confirmed to carsales.
“The fault was caused by human error within our organisation, and resolved quickly. It was not the influence of a third-party.”
The spokesman said the messages were not the result of hacking, but a one-off error.
“Mercedes-Benz takes cyber security extremely seriously and goes to great lengths to protect its users. Our brand stands for reliability and safety, and we believe that includes cyber security, both data and privacy,” the spokesman said.
As with most car-makers, Mercedes-Benz goes to extraordinary lengths to prevent its vehicles from being penetrated and is an active participant in hackathon events.
, Mercedes-Benz vice president of digital vehicle mobility, Sajjad Khan, said the risk of hacking was very real.“There’s nothing in the world that you could call unhackable,” he said.
Mercedes-Benz is leading the way in its use of AI, particularly for its MBUX infotainment system, and is also beavering away to advance its autonomous driving technology like most car-makers.
Khan said Mercedes-Benz vehicles are incredibly secure in a digital sense, but they’re not completely immune to being hacked.
Ditto mainstream manufacturers. In 2015, a pair of software developers hacked into a Jeep and after accessing a virtual back door, took control of the vehicle’s steering, acceleration and braking and eventually shut down the car on the freeway.
Like most car companies, Mercedes-Benz has its own team of hackers who continually poke and prod at the evermore complex software that cars require to operate effectively, but Khan says that “incremental [security] developments which are happening on the tech side” are making cars more and more secure.
“We are extremely humble in saying that we make sure that from our side, we do an excellent job by using the best technology available out on the market, and keep developing it further,” he added.
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