Tesla's keyless feature can actually allow cybercriminals to take over your electric vehicle. If this is true, then having digital locks for EVs and conventional cars may be an issue.
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A Tesla model 3 is seen in the Tesla stand during the second China International Import Expo in Shanghai on november 6, 2019.
As the automotive industry further expands and improves, car manufacturers have been developing new enhancements that their vehicles can take advantage of.
One of these techs is the keyless feature, which allows drivers to open their car and start their engine without the need of inserting their keys into their car doors or steering wheels.
However, Sultan Khan, an NCC Group researcher, published a report explaining how the keyless feature can lead to carnapping.
Tesla Keyless Feature's Issue
According to Fortune's latest report, Khan demonstrated how the Tesla keyless feature can be used to access EVs. The issue specifically relies on the automaker's BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy).
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A Tesla Model S car by US car maker Tesla is displayed at a store in Brussels, on February 8, 2018.
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BLE allows drivers to open or start their EVs using authorized mobile devices or key fobs. This means that you can access your vehicle's doors without making any physical contact with your car.
"This system infers proximity of the mobile device or key fob based on signal strength (RSSI) and latency measurements of cryptographic challenge-response operations conducted over BLE," said Sultan Khan via his official blog post.
He added that if hackers try to take advantage of Tesla's BLE, Model 3 and Model Y units will be the ones most affected.
How Hackers Can Use Tesla Keyless Feature
To show the public how hackers can take advantage of Tesla keyless feature's BLE system, Khan developed a new tool that can release a BLE relay attack.
He explained that if cybercriminals can conduct their own relay attacks within the BLE signal range, they can easily gain access to their victims' Tesla EVs.
As of writing, there's still no report regarding the BLE issue. Tesla electric car units are not the only ones that can be affected by the Bluetooth Low Energy flaw.
Sultan Khan further explained that even residential smart locks can also be accessed by hackers via the BLE issue. If you want to see more details about the latest Tesla keyless problem, you can visit this link.
On the other hand, reports stated that Tesla EVs drastically reduced carbon emissions across the globe back in 2021.
Recently, some YouTubers decided to create a customized Tesla Model 3 electric tank.
For more news updates about the Tesla keyless feature and other stories related to the giant automaker, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.
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Written by: Griffin Davis
