Chinese-made cars recorded sensitive data during Norwegian military exercise
Chinese-made connected cars recorded sensitive information, including gate codes at secure sites, during a September Norwegian military exercise; the Home Guard confirmed the find but could not rule out the data reaching China.
Chinese-made cars filmed sensitive information during a Norwegian military exercise at Oslo airport, including access codes at secure sites and officials’ comings and goings, Dagens Naeringsliv (DN) revealed three weeks after the September 14–18 exercise. Soldiers tapping on their vehicle’s screen discovered the camera recordings, which showed who entered and exited, routes taken, and gate and door codes at military facilities.
At least two of the rentals were Deepal cars made by Chinese state-controlled automaker Changan, supplied by Hertz Norge, which is indirectly owned by Chinese auto group Geely. “Yes, soldiers from the Home Guard found videos from the vehicles’ sensors stored in their systems,” Lieutenant-Colonel Per Gunnar Grosberghaugen, Home Guard spokesman, confirmed to AFP.
It was not known whether the recordings were shared with a third party, notably in China, but he could not rule it out. The military kept using the vehicles for lack of alternatives, and the soldiers deleted the videos, DN reported.
Judging a general ban disproportionate, the military said it preferred site-tailored security procedures, including possible local bans on camera- and sensor-equipped vehicles regardless of origin. Hertz Norge stressed it complies with Norwegian and European regulations; its marketing and communications director Hallvard Nerbovik said no personal rental data is shared “without explicit legal grounds”, without saying whether the videos may have been transferred. Changan did not respond to AFP’s questions.
2025 tests for Oslo’s Ruter authority found Chinese manufacturer Yutong could theoretically remotely immobilise its electric buses via over-the-air updates.
Sources:
More on this topic: all Technology stories
