Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s “Hacker Princess” Kristin Paget has quit the company to join Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA), says a report from Recode.net. Prior to Apple, Paget was the chief hacker for reverse engineering firm H4RDWARE, and is known for her Defcon research on a range of GSM mobile network hacks, developing a passport RFID clone and her contributions to the security of Windows Vista.
She announced her new job with a tweet on February 7, saying “What has two thumbs and starts on Monday at Tesla Motors? This girl right here :).”
Paget selected her own Job title at Apple
While working with Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), which she joined in September 2012, Paget selected her own job title, but it is not clear yet what her job title will be at Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA).
Paget, whose Twitter bio states: “I hack things – electric cars, currently.” She wrote: “Can’t say too much but ‘securing things’ is a fair bet.”
She took a month break from Twitter in November last year, and then in January announced that she is leaving Apple. The exact cause of Paget’s quitting is not known.
Just like Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), Tesla Motors headquarters is also located in California. According to a report from EI Regthe, Paget’s title “Hacker Princess” would have grabbed the attention of lawmakers if Paget spent some time in the state of Idaho, where a U.S. district court ruled that anyone who titles themselves as a “hacker” forfeits their Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable searches and property seizures.
CAN-bus a potential threat
Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) is very much dependent on the technology for over the air software updates that can alter the electronic management system from remote areas. Tesla, like other major automakers, has not underlined the security risk that comes with these technologies.
According to the latest reports, there have been various potential threats such as a CAN-bus hacking tool that allows control of computer-controlled functions from a distance. The tool could be used to control steering, brakes or airbag deployment and other features, depending on the level of security features in a vehicle.
