NIO U.S. Wins Automotive Security Hacking Challenge

NIO U.S. Product and Information Security Team
Wins DEF CON 25 “Capture The Flag” Competition

• NIO U.S. beats out 75 other competitors over two-day world-series of hacking event
• Four-person NIO U.S. “Robamierdas” wins against 75, 6-person teams
• Wins first prize: New Ford F-150 and lifetime DEF CON “Black Badge”

July 31, 2017 – Las Vegas, NV – 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 lead 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.

About NIO U.S.
NIO U.S. is a start-up 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. NIO U.S. is part of NIO Inc., with investors including Tencent, Temasek, Baidu Capital, Sequoia Capital, Lenovo, TPG and other world-renowned investment institutions.

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