CVE-2024-6029 is a medium-severity vulnerability identified in the Tesla Model S vehicle, specifically affecting the Iris modem's firewall service. The flaw is a Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) race condition (CWE-367) that arises due to the failure to properly acquire the xtables lock during firewall rule enforcement. This synchronization issue allows a network-adjacent attacker to bypass the firewall rules on the Iris modem without requiring any authentication or user interaction. The affected product version is Tesla Model S running software version 2023.44.29 with the AG525RGLAAR01A16M4G_OCPU_02.003.10.003 connectivity card. Exploiting this vulnerability enables an attacker to circumvent network protections intended to isolate or restrict access to vehicle systems, potentially allowing unauthorized network traffic to reach internal vehicle components. Although no known exploits are currently observed in the wild, the vulnerability could be leveraged to facilitate further attacks on the vehicle's internal network, potentially impacting confidentiality, integrity, and availability of vehicle functions. The vulnerability was assigned a CVSS v3.0 base score of 5.0, reflecting medium severity, with attack vector as adjacent network, high attack complexity, no privileges required, no user interaction, and impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability rated as low to medium. The root cause is a race condition in firewall rule locking mechanisms, which is a critical control point for network security in connected vehicles. This vulnerability highlights the risks associated with complex connectivity modules in modern vehicles and the importance of robust synchronization in security-critical components.

For European organizations, particularly those involved in fleet management, automotive services, or critical infrastructure relying on Tesla Model S vehicles, this vulnerability poses a tangible risk. An attacker exploiting this flaw could bypass firewall protections on the vehicle's modem, potentially gaining unauthorized network access to vehicle systems. This could lead to unauthorized data access, manipulation of vehicle controls, or disruption of vehicle availability. The impact extends beyond individual vehicles to fleets, where coordinated attacks could disrupt operations or compromise sensitive data. Additionally, the vulnerability could be exploited as a pivot point for lateral movement into broader enterprise networks if vehicles are connected to corporate systems. Given the increasing integration of connected vehicles into smart city and transportation infrastructures in Europe, this vulnerability could have cascading effects on safety, privacy, and operational continuity. Although the attack complexity is high and exploitation requires network adjacency, the lack of authentication and user interaction lowers barriers for skilled attackers. The absence of known exploits in the wild currently reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the potential for future targeted attacks. Therefore, European organizations using affected Tesla Model S vehicles should consider this vulnerability a significant security concern.

1. Immediate mitigation should involve isolating affected Tesla Model S vehicles from untrusted or public networks to reduce exposure to network-adjacent attackers. 2. Implement network segmentation and strict access controls on any infrastructure interfacing with vehicle connectivity modules to limit attack surface. 3. Monitor network traffic to and from Tesla Model S vehicles for anomalous patterns indicative of firewall bypass attempts, using IDS/IPS systems tuned for automotive protocols. 4. Coordinate with Tesla for timely software updates or patches addressing the xtables lock race condition; if no official patch is available, request guidance or temporary mitigations from the vendor. 5. For fleet operators, enforce strict operational procedures for vehicle connectivity, including disabling unnecessary network services on the modem and restricting connectivity card usage to trusted environments. 6. Conduct regular security assessments and penetration testing focused on vehicle connectivity components to proactively identify and remediate similar race condition vulnerabilities. 7. Educate relevant personnel on the risks posed by modem firewall bypass vulnerabilities and establish incident response plans specific to automotive cybersecurity incidents. These steps go beyond generic advice by focusing on network isolation, monitoring tailored to automotive contexts, vendor coordination, and operational controls specific to Tesla Model S connectivity modules.