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car cyber security data

Have you leaked personal data when selling your car?

Four out of five car owners have unwittingly leaked personal data when selling their car, according to a survey by consumer watchdog, Which?

79% of 14,000 drivers interviewed said they did not correctly return their car to its factory settings before selling it. By syncing a phone to their car, it is likely that the contacts and other information on it could be passed to subsequent owners.

Whether the phone is connected via Bluetooth or a USB cable, modern cars can store a wide range of information from a phone including text and email messages, account details and sensitive data. Manufacturers provide instructions on how to remove this information by returning their car to its factory settings before the car is sold, but only 21% of people surveyed said they followed the instructions correctly. 31% of people took no action at all to remove any data while more than half failed to unsync their devices.

Editor of Which?, Harry Rose, says vehicles are increasingly as technologically powerful as computers. “If cars are not treated the same as a smartphone, tablet or other connected devices when it comes to data security, motorists risk giving away a treasure trove of information about themselves when they decide to sell their car,” he said.

“Manufacturers must do much more to prioritise customers’ personal privacy so that drivers fully understand how much data their vehicle could be harbouring and how to delete this information in order to eradicate these risks.”

Conflict International’s Cyber Security team can check the security of your infrastructure with a Penetration Test. We specialise in protecting you from external threats but also making sure your confidential information remains confidential. Contact us to prevent more leaked personal data.

Throughout this COVID-19 outbreak we are able to offer many of our services at a reduced rate as we are committed to helping you stay safe and secure.

To discuss a particular case or our services in more detail, please contact Conflict International in confidence on +44 (0)20 7917 2939 or email [email protected]

When you have suspicions that something isn’t quite right, our experts can help you get to the truth.



To discuss how we can assist with an issue, contact us now in confidence.

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