Researcher Finds Root Exploit in 2014 Renault Unit
A security researcher showed how a TomTom navigation head unit in a 2014 Renault Latitude can be made to run arbitrary root commands.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Cybersecurity
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Security researcher Rasmus Moorats found a way to run arbitrary root commands on a TomTom Carminat LIVE navigation unit in a 2014 Renault Latitude. The research was published on November 2, 2026.
Why it matters
The unit runs an older custom Linux system, and the exploit shows how a file read at boot from an SD card can lead to privileged code execution in an in-car device. It highlights how long-lived embedded automotive software can carry security weaknesses for years.
The exploit chains a path traversal bug in the LOG command with a root-level parser that reads master.script from the SD card at boot, and the final script was just three lines long. The researcher changed a time offset in /mnt/flash/settings.dat from UTC+3 to UTC+2 as the initial goal.
The players
Rasmus Moorats
Estonian security researcher who discovered and documented the navigation unit exploit.
TomTom
Navigation technology company whose Carminat LIVE head unit was the target of the research.
The details
Moorats was trying to correct the clock after daylight saving time ended in Estonia, but the settings menu would not open without a genuine map SD card. Working in an emulator built with QEMU, he found that the unit reads a script file at boot, and the ttn parser runs as root. He used the LOG command's path traversal bug to write to /proc/sys/kernel/core_pattern, achieving root-level command execution.
Timeline
2014: Model year of the affected Renault Latitude
November 2, 2026: Research published
November 3, 2026: Article published on cybersecuritynews.com
Tech Race
The Carminat LIVE head unit ships in a Linux 2.6.28.10 custom system roughly 15 years old, illustrating how long-lived embedded automotive software can persist in cars long after its original design. The disclosure places this 2014 Renault unit alongside broader concerns about legacy in-vehicle systems that remain on the road.
Owners of 2014 Renault Latitude vehicles with this TomTom head unit may want to check for manufacturer updates and avoid inserting unknown SD cards into the system. The exploit required physical access to the SD card slot, which limits day-to-day exposure but still matters for shared or used vehicles.
The takeaway
Long-lived embedded systems in cars can carry boot-time trust assumptions that are easy to abuse once someone has physical access to removable media. Owners of older vehicles should keep infotainment software current where updates exist.
Further reading
Explore more Cybersecurity coverage for related vulnerability research and device security news.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Cyber Security News.
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