Researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology have exposed two weaknesses in the LIDAR ( light detection and ranging ) sensors used in autonomous vehicles . The team 's two proof of concept attacks comprised " blinding " a Velodyne VLP-16 LIDAR sensor with a saturation attack by capturing the sensor 's emitted light pulse and reflecting it back . “As per the data from UK Department for Transport, 55m is the braking distance for a car driving at 60mph. The second test used refraction to change the apparent direction and distance of a point source , the attackers ' way of detecting objects . " Fake [ ing ] in directions other than the direction of the attacker can be a severe threat to the victim , " the team wrote .
Researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology have exposed two weaknesses in the LIDAR ( light detection and ranging ) sensors used in autonomous vehicles . The team 's two proof of concept attacks comprised " blinding " a Velodyne VLP-16 LIDAR sensor with a saturation attack by capturing the sensor 's emitted light pulse and reflecting it back . The second test used refraction to change the apparent direction and distance of a point source , the attackers ' way of detecting objects . " Fake [ ing ] in directions other than the direction of the attacker can be a severe threat to the victim , " the team wrote .