Security researcher Moorats encountered a technical hurdle when attempting to update the clock on his 2014 Renault Latitude. The vehicle's infotainment system required a specific SD card to access time settings, which the owner did not possess. Without the card, the system displayed a 'No maps detected!' error, preventing any manual time adjustments.
The researcher reverse-engineered the head unit, which operates on a custom Linux-based TomTom system powered by a Samsung SoC. By analyzing the firmware and creating a QEMU environment, he identified multiple system vulnerabilities. He ultimately utilized a kernel exploit to gain root-level access to the infotainment software.
Upon accessing the system files, Moorats located the time settings within a binary file named /mnt/flash/settings.dat. He discovered that the system calculates local time by applying an offset in minutes to the time received via GPS. By modifying this offset value from 180 to 120, the researcher successfully corrected the clock.
