My FordPass app blocked in the middle of the night. I was told 5-7 days to unlock!

[petemill]

Update- I received an email today saying that my profile had changed and subsequently was able to successfully login to my app. Only Two days to unblock vs. estimated five to seven.?

I'm still waiting. 3 weeks now...

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[Replika]

SO glad I read this thread before adding my Lightning to Recurrent.

 

[Flashy McLightning]

Is this going to be a potential issue when travelling across the country? My Ford pass app hasn’t refreshed in 27 hours and says to try later. Will I need back up apps to access charging stations along my route?

 

[TaxmanHog]

Is this going to be a potential issue when travelling across the country? My Ford pass app hasn’t refreshed in 27 hours and says to try later. Will I need back up apps to access charging stations along my route?

Try force stopping /suspend the app, then CLEAR CACHE and restart.
DO NOT click CLEAR DATA or you will have to reenroll in PAAK.

 

[Flashy McLightning]

Try force stopping /suspend the app, then CLEAR CACHE and restart.
DO NOT click CLEAR DATA or you will have to reenroll in PAAK.

Thank you. I will play with it. Looking quickly I can access my Bronco from the app, just not the Lightning.

 

[PungoteagueDave]

FWIW, this is one of the most common vectors of vulnerability for breached accounts.

Use a password manager like LastPass(.com). It will allow you to generate good strong random passwords, and not have to remember them. Never reuse credentials across websites.

Edit to add: worth mentioning that LastPass has a browser plugin and a mobile app that stay synchronized with your password database.

Thanks for attending my TED Talk. ?

Hows that LastPass thingy working out for ya?

https://www.wired.com/story/lastpass-breach-vaults-password-managers/

 

[HaroldCal]

Hows that LastPass thingy working out for ya?

https://www.wired.com/story/lastpass-breach-vaults-password-managers/

Yeah, it is what it is. Not happy, but stuff happens. I am looking at moving to a self-hosted option.

 

[petemill]

I'm still blocked after 2 months!

 

[TaxmanHog]

I'm still blocked after 2 months!

Put another call into Ford C/s, ask to have a support ticket created assigned to the Ford Pass Security team

 

[meow]

www.law360.com/articles/1518492/volkswagen-says-smartcar-is-exploiting-its-connectivity-suite

mlexmarketinsight.com/news/insight/volkswagen-files-amended-complaint-in-us-fraud-lawsuit-accusing-software-provider-smartcar-of

"Smartcar has engaged in unauthorized access to the networks and is impermissibly exploiting data associated with the services for Smartcar's unlawful gain," Volkswagen claims.


^— I found this on another forum, while wondering if there’d been any developments.

Frankly, I’d like a nice neat easy option that I could use to tie into Home Assistant, use in ABRP, the Emporia app (another warning!) etc.

But I’m not risking being locked out again.

 

[cwstnsko]

I guess I’m the latest victim

I went on a vacation in Europe for a couple weeks. As a habit, my wife and I keep the Ford app open on our phones, because they are used for PAAK, and the app pesters you to always keep it open.

After about 3 days of travel, Ford locked down my account and sent me an e-mail to that effect. I tried calling the number, but the system directed me to an office that is only open during business hours in the US, which is when I am busy and/or sleeping when in Europe.

Today is my 1st day back and I was finally able to get through to support. They told me my account was blocked due to VPN use, ( I don’t use a VPN). Apparently, Ford sees the app being open on a phone overseas as VPN use ? , which is apparently a violation of their terms ?

They told me that the request to unblock my account will take up to 5 business days to process, and after they take action to unblock, it will take 48 hours before I can access my account again.

This seems completely absurd in this age of technology and connected vehicles.

Luckily, my truck still seems to respond to the PAAK, but I will not have access to any app functions for potentially as much as 9 days!

 

[bmwhitetx]

Weird, I have taken three 10-day trips to Europe since owning my truck and have never received any emails or shutdowns. I use T-Mobile which keeps me connected with various carriers automatically (at a reduced speed in some countries).

I can't remember but I think I have closed the app and ignore the one-time notification about PAAK. It does not constantly pester me iirc, just the one quick notice.

May depend on your carrier and the country you are in. Did you buy a SIM card?

 

[TaxmanHog]

Sounds like Ford needs to tweak their security policies to recognize legitimate worldwide roaming as a normal thing and not read it as a hacker in the Stan's trying to crack your Ford account.

@Ford Motor Company please elevate this to the cyber security team

 

[Mike G]

Sounds like Ford needs to tweak their security policies to recognize legitimate worldwide roaming as a normal thing and not read it as a hacker in the Stan's trying to crack your Ford account.

@Ford Motor Company please elevate this to the cyber security team

Nope....this is part of the same thing that FDRS users were running into when checking VINs from outside the US......it triggers Ford Cyber Security and they block the account....this is just another symptom of the same problem.

And Ford Cyber Security might as well have a Honey Badger as their mascot because just like the badger....THEY DON'T CARE.

And you can call Ford CS all day long....but if you don't specifically tell whoever answers the phone that you need to talk to someone about blocked accounts you'll spend a lot of time going around in circles and getting nowhere. Make sure you pack a lunch before you call them, you'll be a while.

 

[reddog21]

Sounds like Ford needs to tweak their security policies to recognize legitimate worldwide roaming as a normal thing and not read it as a hacker in the Stan's trying to crack your Ford account.

@Ford Motor Company please elevate this to the cyber security team

It’s virtually impossible, as most carriers use US gateways when you’re roaming outside the country, so even if the app shows you in, say, Germany, your IP address will still be in the US. It might also use a combination of GPS, IP, and car location, and if all three don’t match, it could flag a possible VPN threat even though it's not.

In this case, I don’t blame Ford—they’re doing the right thing—but they should make it easier to get your account up and running again, or at least have the app give you some kind of warning before blocking you altogether.

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