Can an EV Be Hacked?
Over the past decade, electric vehicles (EVs) have become incredibly popular. You may walk or drive past an electric car multiple times a day, or even an electric van or motorcycle. Needless to say, electric transport is on the rise. But is there a glaring security issue associated with these modern vehicles? Can EVs possibly be hacked?
EVs and Wireless Connections
Most EVs on the road today are connected to some form of wireless technology. This is the case for some internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, too, but the general perception is that electric vehicles are more connected.
The internet is commonly used by EV drivers for in-car streaming. Many of us listen to some form of media when driving, be it the news, podcasts, music, YouTube videos, or similar. But to do this, we either need to use our smartphones or the online connection supported by the car itself.
Other wireless technologies are also used by EVs and all modern cars, with the main one being their in-built Bluetooth data transfer feature. Bluetooth is commonly used today in both EVs and ICE cars to connect smartphones to the vehicle’s own operating system. Many do this to make hands-free phone calls, listen to their phone’s music wirelessly via the car stereo, or even create text messages with cars' speech-to-text features.
It’s expected that cars' reliance on wireless technologies will continue to rise. For instance, wireless car keys usingNFC (near-field communication)are already rumored to be in development, with Apple seemingly hinting at an NFC-enabled car key feature (as reported by9to5Mac).
With this heavy usage of wireless connectivity in EVs, various potential security risks have arisen.
Can Your Electric Vehicle Be Hacked?
In short, yes. An EV, or any car that is equipped with wireless technologies, for that matter, can be hacked.
There have already been numerous instances of modern cars being hacked. For example, in January 2022, it was reported by numerous news outlets that a German teenage boy had found a way to remotely hijack Teslas remotely through a flaw. As written in aBusiness Insiderarticle, the 19-year-old claimed to have hacked 25 Teslas via a security vulnerability that he found in TeslaMate, an open-source piece of software used to track a Tesla’s key metrics.
It was also stated in a tweet by the teen, named David Colombo, that he was able to turn off Sentry mode, open doors and windows, and even take partial control over the cars he had hijacked. What’s more, these cars were by no means all close to Colombo’s location. In fact, he was able to hack Teslas located in 13 different countries, since all these cars had their own internet connections (proving thatconnected cars have downsides and positives).
But this isn’t the only case of Teslas being hacked. In March 2023, a story arose about hackers successfully gaining root access to Tesla’s system. The hack took place at the Pwn2Own conference, and earned the successful infiltrators $100,000, as well as the Tesla Model 3 that was hacked.
The hackers, known as @Synaktiv on Twitter, claimed that they were able to gain control of the entire Tesla via the hack. If this is true, it goes to show that hacks pose a huge risk to Teslas and possibly EVs in general.
But it’s not just Teslas that are at risk here. Other EV brands have also run into problems with cybersecurity. For example, in 2016, a vulnerability was discovered in Nissan Leaf’s NissanConnect app, which could give hackers the ability to access people’s trip histories as well as interfere with their heating and cooling systems. According to web security consultant and researcherTroy Hunt, while the vulnerability isn’t severe, it still poses a risk to privacy.
What’s more, if the hacker in question wanted to target a specific car, they would only need the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), which is by no means difficult to get your hands on.
Can EV Chargers Get Hacked?
EV chargers are also vulnerable to remote hacking. Specifically, the connection between an EV and a charger can be intercepted by a malicious actor. This can be done by targeting the protocol or interface used for charging. If this protocol contains one or more software vulnerabilities, a door may be opened for cybercriminals through which they can infiltrate the network. By doing this, the actor could conduct aDenial of Service (DoS) attack, cutting off the supply of energy from the charger to the EV.
Such an attack could be made possible through a number of avenues, including the use of a Software-Defined Radio (SDR). This would require the attacker to be somewhat nearby, around 47 meters, according to an article byHackDay. But this still means that the cybercriminal wouldn’t need to be near the car, giving them a solid vantage point from which to conduct the hack without arousing suspicion.
What Happens When Your EV Gets Hacked?
The dangers of an EV hack can range from minimal to severe, depending on the nature of the attack.
For instance, an EV hack could be as mild as an attacker controlling your radio. This would still need to be addressed, but it wouldn’t put the driver or the car itself in any imminent danger.
However, the severity of an EV hack could stretch to the point of controlling the vehicle while in motion. If the attacker has dark intentions, this could result in serious injury to the driver or even death.
Data is also on the line when it comes to EV hacks. For instance, if an attacker infiltrated an EV’s network via an electric charger, they may be able to find your contact details, payment information, place of residence, and more. Cutting off the energy supply via a charger hack could also put the driver in a tough position, especially if the vehicle battery is already very low.
Needless to say, there are many malicious avenues that an attacker can take when hacking an EV. As EV technology continues to develop, we may see even more hacking opportunities arise. This is why it’s important forautomakers that build connected electric carsto make sure vehicle software has adequate security protocols so that it isn’t a walk in the park for an attacker to gain access.
EV Hacking May Be a Big Problem in the Future
Given that EVs have already been hacked numerous times in the past, there’s certainly cause for concern when it comes to the safety of EV drivers. If the manufacturers of these vehicles do not take cybersecurity seriously, we may see instances of EV hacking incidents shoot up in the near future. Further safety concerns could also arise once artificial intelligence becomes commonplace in cars.
Artificial intelligence holds a lot of promise when it comes to its automotive uses, but becoming reliant on this technology also has its drawbacks.
Free AI tools are legitimately powerful; you just need to know how to stack them.
Your phone’s camera app doesn’t show this, so it’s easy to miss.
Your phone is a better editor than you give it credit for.
Quality apps that don’t cost anything.
I gripped my chair the entire time—and then kept thinking about it when the screen turned off.
