Bluetooth-Based Digital Locks Used For Cars And Homes Are Easy To Hack

Bluetooth based digital lock is easy to hack. (photo: twitter @shah_sheikh)

JAKARTA - Millions of digital keys around the world, including on Tesla cars, can be unlocked remotely by hackers exploiting vulnerabilities in Bluetooth technology.

In a video shared with Reuters, NCC Group researcher Sultan Qasim Khan, Tuesday, May 17, is seen being able to open and then drive a Tesla using a small relay device attached to a laptop that bridges the huge gap between Tesla and Tesla owners' phones.

"This proves that any product that relies on a trusted BLE connection is vulnerable to attacks even from other parts of the world," the UK-based company said in a statement. They refer to the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) protocol. This is the technology used in millions of cars and smart locks that automatically open when near an authorized device.

Although Khan demonstrated the hack on the 2021 Tesla Model Y, the NCC Group says any smart lock that uses BLE technology, including the housing smart lock, can be unlocked the same way. Tesla itself did not immediately respond to these reports.

The NCC Group says such vulnerabilities are unlike traditional bugs which can be fixed with software patches and added BLE-based authentication was not originally designed for use in locking mechanisms.

"As a result, the systems that people rely on to keep their cars, homes and personal data safe use Bluetooth proximity authentication mechanisms that can be easily broken with cheap hardware," the company said.

"This research illustrates the dangers of using this technology for reasons other than its intended purpose, especially when security concerns are involved," they said.