Mercedes App Accidentally Gives Other Drivers Access To Personal Data

Many vehicles come with their own apps that allow you to remotely lock and unlock the vehicle as well as track it. This is a convenience, but it is also a liability at the same time.

According to TechCrunch, two Mercedes-Benz customers have reported an issue with the Mercedes me app. In the report, they said they were able to see other people's accounts and driver information. Though this information was not displayed in real-time, it's still rattled nerves quite a bit. While the app was taken down soon after the issue was reported, citing maintenance reasons, there was still a point where they could view other drivers' phone numbers, recent activity, and personal information.

In recent times researchers have discovered that there are loopholes in the security protocols of these apps. In some cases, they have even been able to hijack or track vehicles remotely. In this case, none of these things happened. When one of the owners who wished to remain nameless contacted Mercedes Benz, they were told by customer service to delete the app until the problem could be fixed. That doesn't precisely sound comforting.

The owner of the second car experiencing the issues contacted the driver whose information was showing up on his phone. This person was completely oblivious to the fact that their data had been shared with another individual. They weren't even in the same state.

Donna Boland, a spokesperson for Daimler, the parent company of Mercedes-Benz, told TechCrunch that "there was a short interval on Friday where incorrect customer information had been displayed." She went on to state that "there were no financial details that were viewable." when they became fully aware of the issue, the app was taken offline in the problem was fixed and has not occurred again.

It is unclear if the security features of the app were accessible or not. Luckily, neither of the men tested these functions.