The NIO U.S. team took home First Place at DEF CON 25 2017 Car Hacking Village, beating out 10 other teams in the third annual “Capture The Flag” (CTF) security event.
“We’re incredibly proud of what our team accomplished,” says Abe Chen, NIO U.S., Director of Product and Information Security, who led the four-person team. “The competition was fierce and it was down to the wire. But we had a blast and can’t thank the Car Hacking Village enough for the opportunity—and prizes.”
At the annual security conferences in Las Vegas last week, researchers and hackers devised a series of challenges to understand the vulnerabilities of our connected world. One topic that has gained exposure over the last year has been security vulnerabilities in modern automobiles. The Car Hacking Village is comprised of both professionals and hobbyists working together to provide hands-on, interactive car-hacking skills. At CTF, participants work on a wide array of security challenges, covering WiFi, ECUs, over-the-air updates, encryption, infotainment, gateways, and remote hacking of connected vehicles.
The NIO U.S. “Robamierdas” team won the First Place Prize which included a new Ford F-150 pickup truck and the coveted lifetime DEF CON “Black Badge.” A Black Badge is one of the highest honors that DEF CON bestows in recognition of overall elite skills and outstanding contribution to the security community.
In March 2017, NIO U.S. announced its first production autonomous electric vehicles will be available in U.S. in 2020.
NIO U.S. is a startup based in the heart of Silicon Valley developing autonomous electric vehicles. NIO U.S. has hundreds of world-class experts from leading automotive and high tech companies. NIO U.S. received its Autonomous Vehicle Testing Permit by the California DMV and is currently testing on public roads in advance of the release of a Level-4 production vehicle in 2020.
NextEV unveiled its brand, NIO which it calls a visionary electric car brand that will help users rediscover the ‘joyful lifestyle’ of car ownership by creating inspiring vehicles that deliver superior performance
In April, NIO showcased 11 vehicles for their Chinese debut at the 2017 Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition. The company unveiled the ES8, their new vehicle for the China market that is planned for serial production later this year, and announced they will begin taking pre-orders of their flagship supercar, the NIO EP9.