Your Volkswagen with the keyless entry system maybe prone to theft.
Researchers at University of Birmingham revealed the vulnerability of various vehicles including VW, Seat, and Audi sold since 1995. The experts claimed that the keyless entry control of 100 million VW cars can be cloned.
Lock it and still lose it: Researchers hacked VW vehicles with keyless entry system
According to the research paper, VW cars that use a constant pattern for the key are vulnerable to hacks. Most of the hacked cars are not crafted with the latest platform. Researchers use a cheap piece of radio hardware connected to a laptop to clone the remote control which has to be no more than 300-feet far. One of the authors, Glavio Garcia, explained that the team purchased a $40 device to 'build something that functions exactly like the original remote', Wired reported.
The researchers who only analyzed mass-market VW car models suggest automakers to change the security systems to make the vehicles less vulnerable to hacks. CNBC reported that VW Group has received the report's draft before the work is published and the company has acknowledged their system's vulnerabilities.
Researchers have also agreed not to make the details go public to prevent any criminals that might use it to access the cars. Fixing the issue might need a long path since the development cycle of such software is slow.
The wireless hack affects some models of VW cars such as Audi A1, Q3, R8, S3 and TT; Volkswagen Amarok, Beetle, Bora, Caddy, Crafter, e-Up, Eos, Fox, Golf 4, Golf 5, and Golf 6. Hence, the next time you want to buy a VW car, make sure it uses the latest MQB platform or the best-selling Golf 7. Experts do not find any flaw in those vehicles.
Check out the report in the video below!
