Tesla cars, smart locks prone to Bluetooth vulnerability hack, report says

The cybersecurity firm performed a relay attack on a 2020 Tesla Model 3, which uses a BLE-based entry system, to unlock and drive the vehicle.

Hackers can exploit a new Bluetooth low energy (BLE) vulnerability to unlock digital locks in cars and other smart devices. Vehicles like Tesla, that use Bluetooth-based proximity authentication systems are vulnerable to such hacks, according to cybersecurity firm NCC Group.

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The U.K.-based company performed a relay attack on a 2020 Tesla Model 3, which uses a BLE-based entry system, to unlock and drive the vehicle. The attack tool can be used for any devices communicating over BLE, and is not specific to Tesla vehicles, it noted.

“Systems that people rely on to guard their cars, homes and private data are using Bluetooth proximity authentication mechanisms that can be easily broken with cheap off-the-shelf hardware — in effect, a car can be hacked from the other side of the world,” NCC Group said in a statement.

Several vehicle manufacturers, including Tesla, use the Bluetooth-based system that automatically unlocks a vehicle when people with an authorised mobile device or key fob come close to them.

In its testing, the cybersecurity firm placed two relay devices, one at seven metres distance from an iPhone 13 mini with the Tesla app and the other located three metres away from the Tesla vehicle, it explained, adding that the attack tool was deployed while the iPhone was outside the Bluetooth range of the vehicle.

In addition to the Tesla car, the firm conducted an attack on Kevo smart locks, which are used in residential locking systems.