Overview
- Researchers at Madrid-based IMDEA Networks passively captured about six million tire-pressure monitoring transmissions from roughly 20,000 vehicles over 10 weeks using receivers costing about $100.
- Each sensor broadcast a persistent identifier that allowed vehicles to be followed without relying on license-plate data.
- Signals were reliably received from more than 160 feet away, including when receivers were placed inside buildings.
- The team matched signals to individual tires and intercepted pressure readings, enabling inferences about vehicle type or whether it carried a heavy load.
- The study urges regulators to add cybersecurity requirements for TPMS, noting the safety-driven mandate since the 2008 model year did not address privacy risks.