Volkswagen (VW) vehicles released over the last two decades are at risk of being hacked.
A group of researchers from the University of Birmingham and engineering experts Kasper & Oswald discovered two flaws on about 100 million cars. The affected vehicles use keyless entry systems, and hackers are able to tap into this security vulnerability with relatively simple technology.
VW’s Audi and Skoda models released since 1995 are among the cars with this flaw. A second flaw was found that affects millions of brands, such as Alfa Romeo, Opel and Peugeot.
“A sophisticated criminal gang with the right tools” could breach the security of the other vehicles and steal a car, the researchers note.
Newer VW offerings built on its MQB platform — such as the Golf VII — are the only recent cars manufactured by the company that do not contain this vulnerability. Additionally, Golf, Tiguan, Touran and Passat models have the security capabilities to avoid cyberattacks.
This research did not specify with auto parts are the cause of this weakness in keyless systems. The findings are being led by Flavio Garcia — a computer scientist at the University of Birmingham — who was once blocked by a British court. from sharing details on Volkswagen car immobilizers.
There are other devices with recently discovered security vulnerabilities that may be of concern to some, including mobile payment service Samsung Pay, as well as security chips manufactured by Qualcomm, Inc. (NASDAQ:QCOM), which are located in more than 900 million Android devices.
