Volkswagen built cars may not have secure locks

Photo Credit Andreas Praefcke Wikimedia

Volkswagen factory Wolfsburg Germany

AS IF the Volkswagen group hasn’t received enough negative publicity over the past year, a research paper which has just been presented at a cybersecurity conference  in Texas suggests that many cars produced by the group since 1995 can be unlocked by hackers with a very cheap piece of electronic equipment and a knowledge of digital keys.

There are two different methods by which there cars which include Audi, Seat and Skodas can be opened remotely according to researchers at the University of Birmingham and a German firm Kasper & Oswald.

Prior to the publication of the research, the authors informed VW and agreed not to reveal the entire secret of the hacking which they had successfully done themselves and also will be working with the car manufacturer to try to assist in remedying the weakness in the cyber keys.

It appears that many of the most recent generation of VW produced models are invulnerable to the hacking and it would not be possible to start any of the cars, but easy access to any motor car lessens the chance of a thief being caught removing property.

According to the German research company, there is a range of other models produced by a number of different manufacturers which are similarly vulnerable and whilst matters can be easily resolved for future models, it could well be that control units in older cars would need to be replaced at considerable cost to either the manufacturers or the driving public in order to remedy the problem.

 AS IF the Volkswagen group hasn’t received enough negative publicity over the past year, a research paper which has just been presented at a cybersecurity conference  in Texas suggests that many cars produced by the group since 1995 can be unlocked by hackers with a very cheap piece of electronic equipment and a knowledge of digital keys.

There are two different methods by which there cars which include Audi, Seat and Skodas can be opened remotely according to researchers at the University of Birmingham and a German firm Kasper & Oswald.

Prior to the publication of the research, the authors informed VW and agreed not to reveal the entire secret of the hacking which they had successfully done themselves and also will be working with the car manufacturer to try to assist in remedying the weakness in the cyber keys.

It appears that many of the most recent generation of VW produced models are invulnerable to the hacking and it would not be possible to start any of the cars, but easy access to any motor car lessens the chance of a thief being caught removing property.

According to the German research company, there is a range of other models produced by a number of different manufacturers which are similarly vulnerable and whilst matters can be easily resolved for future models, it could well be that control units in older cars would need to be replaced at considerable cost to either the manufacturers or the driving public in order to remedy the problem.

Written by

John Smith

Married to Ophelia in Gibraltar in 1978, John has spent much of his life travelling on security print and minting business and visited every continent except Antarctica. Having retired several years ago, the couple moved to their house in Estepona and John became a regular news writer for the EWN Media Group taking particular interest in Finance, Gibraltar and Costa del Sol Social Scene. Currently he is acting as Editorial Consultant for the paper helping to shape its future development. Share your story with us by emailing newsdesk@euroweeklynews.com, by calling +34 951 38 61 61 or by messaging our Facebook page www.facebook.com/EuroWeeklyNews

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