Researchers at Duke University have developed a system that tricks a car's radar sensor into believing almost anything is possible. Dubbed “MadRadar,” the technology can hide the approach of existing cars, create phantom cars where none exist, or trick radar into causing real cars to quickly deviate from their actual course. It can even make you think. And all this can be done without prior knowledge of the victim's radar's specific settings.
The study, to be presented at the 2024 Network and Distributed Systems Security Symposium, shows that manufacturers need to take immediate steps to better protect their products.
Duke engineers demonstrated the MadRadar system, which can accurately detect a vehicle's radar parameters in less than a quarter of a second. Once the parameters are discovered, the system can send its own radar signal to fool the target's radar.
The problem with modern vehicle detection systems is their complexity. Modern cars with assistance and autonomous driving systems typically use radar to detect moving vehicles in front of and around the vehicle.
Today, so many different vehicles use radar on a typical highway that it is unlikely that two vehicles will have exactly the same operating parameters, even if they are the same make and model. .
In the MadRadar demonstration, the Duke University team showed off the capabilities of a radar spoofing system they developed that can accurately detect a vehicle's radar parameters in less than a quarter of a second. Once they are discovered, the system can transmit its own radar signal to fool the target's radar.
The researchers recommend that automakers randomize the operating parameters of their radar systems over time and add safeguards to their processing algorithms to detect similar attacks. Failure to take these measures may result in dangerous conditions on the road.
“Imagine if your adaptive cruise control, which uses radar, tricks you into thinking the car in front of you is speeding up and causes your car to speed up too, when in fact your speed hasn’t changed at all. .” Miroslav Pajic, Dickinson Family Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Duke University, said: “If this was done at night, by the time your car camera would notice it, you'd be in trouble.”
Researchers say MadRadar shows that manufacturers need to start taking immediate steps to better protect their products. “We're not building these systems to hurt anyone.” Pasic said. “We demonstrate the problems that exist in current radar systems and show that we need to fundamentally change the way they are designed.”
Journal reference
- “MadRadar: A Black-Box Physical Layer Attack Framework on Millimeter-Wave Automotive FMCW Radar” David Hunt, Kristen Angell, Zhenzhou Qi, Tingjun Chen, Miroslav Pajic Network and Distributed Systems Security Symposium (NDSS) 2024. DOI: 10.14722/ndss.2024.24135
