GPS TRACKER SECURITY

INTRO

GPS trackers provide valuable data for business efficiency and protect vehicles from theft. At the same time, trackers can be stolen for sale, sabotaged by being reconfigured with faulty parameters or hacked to steal sensitive data. In order to prevent unauthorised access to the trackers, additional security measures are required for logging in via all possible devices. If a login fails, the user is denied access and the trackers remain secure.

CHALLENGE

Vehicle trackers store sensitive data for business and thanks to various features help to arrange optimal routes to avoid delays, reduce fuel consumption, get timely maintenance, and secure cargo with a vehicle. When losing a tracker or control of it, business forfeits the possibility to monitor a vehicle and that can lead to serious consequences.

Stealing a tracker or overtaking its control can cause major issues for big businesses and small companies alike. You can do a lot to improve the security of your trackers, though. While there are no absolute guarantees, you should make it as hard as possible for the thieves to overtake the trackers that you have invested time to install and configured for efficient data collection and monitoring. Otherwise, losing a tracker will also mean losing your income.

Our tracking solutions offer much more than just simple tracking. A wide range of functionalities is available and – what is most important – we provide secure connectivity for all our devices.

SOLUTION

Setting up a password, pin, or keyword before using the tracker is a must. Installing a tracker out of the box without reconfiguring it for security purposes is one of the most common mistakes that integrators make. However, it is easy to correct this by creating strong passwords (at least 8 characters: a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and a minimum of one special character). Failing to make these changes makes it simple for the thieves to gain access to the trackers since they might know or find out the original settings.

With Teltonika options for secure connections, it becomes hard to steal or sabotage the trackers. All Teltonika tracking devices support the safety measures listed below, including FMB130, which is a perfect choice for miscellaneous use scenarios.

CONFIGURATOR KEYWORD

Access to the configurator should be limited only to those who need to use it. For company employees to configure trackers via computer, a keyword is required if connecting via USB. In case of accessing tracker configuration via Bluetooth® connection, a pin is used to pair with the device in addition to a keyword.

SMS SECURITY

You can use SMS login and SMS password to access Teltonika trackers. Besides, it is also possible to configure devices via SMS commands.

For an additional security via SMS, you can add telephone numbers to the authorized number list in the Teltonika configurator. The trackers will ignore all commands coming from the numbers that are not listed in the configurator, thus, nobody else will be able to configure the devices or sabotage them.

FMBT APP

By using Teltonika FMBT application on smartphones and filling up a pin for pairing with a tracker or adding your device to the configurator authorised devices MAC list, you can see every detail about your device, including primary information, GNSS, GSM, I/O elements status, OBD, and LV-CAN200/ALL-CAN300 live data. To set up a tracker via Bluetooth® connection, you need to insert a keyword and the application will allow you to change your server IP address, port, and APN data on the device.

FOTA WEB

FOTA WEB gives you easy access to your fleet from anywhere in the world. To upgrade firmware or make configuration changes, all you need to do is enter a login and password in your browser, which uses the HTTPS protocol - this means that all communication between your browser and the site is encrypted! For security reasons, please do not share your login details with unauthorised personnel.

BLE STANDARD AES-128

Starting from the firmware base version 03.27.07, we have successfully implemented the Advanced Encryption Standard AES-128 to ensure the most secure transfer of Bluetooth® Low Energy (aka BLE) data between Teltonika GPS trackers and dedicated mobile apps. If an AES Key is present in HEX format, the outgoing data will be ciphered by the configured key, and incoming data will be deciphered.

Please note that this is one of the most robust and sophisticated serial encryption schemes today. You can learn more about the technical aspects of this feature here.

BLUETOOTH® PAIRING PIN CHANGE

Changing the PIN used for Bluetooth® pairing can be an effective way to prevent unauthorised access to Teltonika GPS trackers. Regularly updating this PIN provides an extra layer of security. Even more, this feature has several different Security Modes. You can find out more about the technical aspects of this by clicking here.

SECURE CONNECTION TO SERVER (TLS)

Going further, as of 03.27.07 base firmware version, Transport Layer Security TLS functionality has been updated and implemented for Teltonika GPS device series FMB0YX, FMB9X0, FMB1YX, FMM1YX, FMC1YX, FMB2YX, and the model FMT100. The layer is a cryptographic protocol that provides end-to-end security of data sent between the server and the vehicle GPS tracker. You can learn more about the technical aspects of the TLS update here.

VPN

There are security concerns about personal smartphones and mobile devices connecting to trackers. Personal phones are more vulnerable to hacking than servers connected to a corporate network. Many companies offer low-cost mobile software that encrypts traffic or monitors phones for suspicious activity. So far, the threats have been minimal and more of an annoyance, but they are something to keep an eye on. For a secure connection, you can use a SIM card that supports VPN connectivity. A VPN allows you to create a secure connection to another network over the Internet and secure your browsing activity.

TOPOLOGY

BENEFITS

• Security options for various devices – be sure that Teltonika trackers are safe to use in your business with different security options (keywords, logins, passwords, pins, and authorized number lists) for all kinds of devices (phones, smartphones, computers, servers, and FMBT app) making your data secure.
• Fast way to configure secure logins – in the Teltonika configurator, it is easy to set up or change keywords, logins, and passwords, add authorized telephone numbers or fill the authorized devices MAC list.
• Secure data sending – VPN data encryption.

WHY TELTONIKA?

Secure connection to Teltonika trackers gives you peace of mind that your sensitive business data is safe and that no one else can connect to the devices. Under our 'Easy key to IoT' motto, we offer a quick way to set up security logins, passwords or keywords, as well as trouble-free firmware upgrades and configuration of Teltonika trackers.