I got a rental car recently and was given an android auto security error when I plugged in my phone. The error message suggested adjusting the date and time on the car, and when I did so (it was exactly 2 years, 1 day, and 12 hours ahead) it worked fine. Why did this matter? What does a system clock being off have to do with security? Wouldnt my phone know that it was innacurate since it picked up that it was wrong in the first place?
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> What does a system clock being off have to do with security?
Two important uses of time in security, there are others:
1. Encryption certificates (like those that are used on the web that trigger the padlock in your browser) are not valid forever, they have a start and end date. If the date is wrong, expired certificates may be seen as valid (and vice-versa).
2. One-time token generators (like OATH, often known as Google Authenticator) rely on clocks to generate a new token every minute or so. If one clock is off by even just five minutes, the generated tokens will be invalid.
> Wouldnt my phone know that it was innacurate since it picked up that it was wrong in the first place?
*Both* your phone and the car think the other is wrong. They have to agree somehow.
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