Previous Owner Of Cadillac Escalade Can Still Control His Old Car

The relationship between smartphones and cars is becoming increasingly more important as manufacturers devise new ways to make the ownership experience more convenient and enjoyablethrough connectivity software. Over the past few years, we've seen smartphones slowly evolve into control hubs that can manage several control features. Likely, this willonly progress furtheras cars become more digitalized and connected.

With these features becoming more standardized in cars, security protocols must be advanced in parallel to ensure the safety and well-being of the owner. We've already seen sometech experts discover exploitsin the framework of some of the most established manufacturers but this latest story out of Canada is a bit of an odd situation.

As reported byRadio Canada, Gilles Veilleux purchased a 2017Cadillac Escaladethat came standard with the MyCadillac smartphone connectivity app powered by GM's OnStar system. This can be used to control everything from the horn and lights to the ignition system. You can also use it to monitor the car's location, fuel level, mileage, and other parameters.

Last year Veilleux made the decision to let go of the premium SUV but shortly after the car left his possession, he realized that his profile was still connected to the car with the option of monitoring the location and controlling some of the features. This is a serious security design flaw and manufacturers need to eliminate the possibility of maintaining permission once the car is sold to a new owner.