Auto tech startup claims it traced hack attempt back to rival's IP address

Automotive technology startup IQ.Lvbs has claimed that its IT systems were recently targeted by individuals attempting to steal its driving model. The company suggested that these attacks originated from an IP address linked to a rival in the industry.

In its blog post, IQ.Lvbs detailed the alleged security incident, which began on October 7 and continued until October 14. The startup introduced its private beta of NovaSpark, the first model for their IQ.Pilot app, in the Comma.ai Discord channel, where it requires the use of Comma.ai's camera hardware for self-driving vehicles. Following the launch, repeated attempts to steal NovaSpark, access users' devices and private driving files, and exploit their sign-in system were made.

According to IQ.Lvbs, the first requests came from an IP address associated with Comma.ai Inc. On October 8, shortly after the attacks commenced, the startup's team was banned from the Comma.ai Discord channel. Reports on the IQ.Pilot Discord channel indicate that individuals participating in private beta testing for IQ.Lvbs have also been banned from the channel.

An IQ.Lvbs team member, identified as Cat, speculated about the reasons for the alleged hack and Discord ban. Cat suggested that NovaSpark's advanced capabilities threatened Comma.ai's core business of selling AI models for hardware. Comma.ai, for its part, has been largely stagnant in its model improvements, according to Cat.

Comma.ai's CTO, Harald Schäfer, made a Discord message on October 7, implying that NovaSpark was developed from Comma.ai's Rebellious Hope model. IQ.Lvbs disputes this assertion and maintains that it completed the work independently. The company argues that its claim is not supported by evidence and doubts Comma.ai's conclusion, considering that they do not possess NovaSpark's model weights or ONNX files.

In the log data IQ.Lvbs published to support its claims, the company identified the username 'haraschax' as one associated with Comma.ai IP addresses. Schäfer, who uses the same username on GitHub, did not respond to requests for comment. Comma.ai and Schäfer also did not respond to similar requests. Discord user Torq_boi, who was involved in the Comma.ai channel, did not respond to a direct message seeking comment.

IQ.Lvbs has stated that it is considering legal action in response to the alleged hack and is reviewing its options for involving the authorities.