Tesla owners love the simple keyless system that recognizes them when they get close to the car, unlocks the doors, and allows them to start the car without the active use of the key.
Now he has a security expert in the UK NCC Group Consulting Company He demonstrated on two Tesla models how he could easily hack the computer program controlling a keyless system.
The expert unlocks the doors, turns the car on and off, even if the key isn’t close by. This is done by exploiting a weakness in the Bluetooth communication between the key and the car – known as the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) protocol.
He drove his Tesla from the back seat
The car is wondering
It’s safety expert Solan Qasim Khan at NCC Group who has demonstrated this on Tesla Model S and Model Y It belongs to Bloomberg News.
Millions Many: There could be several million cars of various brands with this key system vulnerability, according to the NCC Group. Photo: Markus Pentekainen
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By redirecting the communication between the key or the app on the mobile phone and the vehicle, the system is tricked into believing that the owner is nearby. Thus, unauthorized persons can drive by car.
The new favorite of car thieves
Not just Tesla
According to Kahn, this weakness is not only seen in Tesla cars. It can also be used to steal other cars with similar keyless systems. According to Bloomberg, it has not yet been proven that thieves used this method to steal Tesla.
Khan says he reported this vulnerability to Tesla in the key system, but the car manufacturer does not consider this a significant risk. Tesla also did not respond to Automotive News when they wrote about the case and requested comment.
Use the button: it is much safer if, for example, the owner has to press a button on the key, rather than automatically unlocking the car as soon as you approach the car. Photo: Tesla
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push the button
According to a safety expert, there are a few things that can be done to prevent unauthorized people from gaining control of your vehicle in this way:
The car owner must turn off the ability to passively unlock the car. It would be much safer if, for example, the owner had to press a button on the key, rather than automatically unlocking the car as soon as you approach the car.
Car manufacturers must also turn off the ability to unlock the car via the mobile app when it is calm for a certain period of time.
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