VW’s keyless entry systems can be hacked
Volkswagen certainly doesn’t need any more bad news, but the German automaker got some more recently when a study by a team at the University of Birmingham recently uncovered that the keyless entry systems in nearly every vehicle manufactured by the company is vulnerable to hacking.
VW
The security hole puts up to 100 million cars at risk, according to the study. And the hack for thieves is as easy as getting a cheap radio transceiver and combining it with one of the few cryptographic key codes used by VW.
The security void was found by University of Birmingham computer scientist Flavio Garcia and his team – the same team that found security flaws in VW’s ignition system that could allow the cars to be started without a key.
Jalopnik recently reported on the latest snafu, citing Garcia’s paper as saying:
“In our first case study, we show that the security of the keyless entry systems of most VW Group vehicles manufactured between 1995 and today relies on a few, global master keys. We show that by recovering the cryptographic algorithms and keys from electronic control units, an adversary is able to clone a VW Group remote control and gain unauthorized access to a vehicle by eavesdropping a single signal sent by the original remote.”
Jalopnik continued to say that it isn’t easy to intercept a signal, including the fact that you need to be within 300 feet and have the right equipment, but there are motivated thieves out there.
The headaches continue to pour in for VW, which is still being investigated, sued and fined by numerous plaintiffs regarding the “clean diesel” emissions scandal. And the latest headache comes just as the manufacturer launched its latest ad campaign, “Then. Now. Always.” The ad is a nostalgic look at how people grow up with the brand, and it should strike a chord with those who love VW but may have been dismayed by the recent scandals.
Volkswagen has not responded to the study on record as of yet, but the fact that thieves can clone the codes to keyless entry systems means that millions of people may be looking to VW for yet another fix.