Researchers Gained Control of Some Kia Models Using License Plate Numbers and a Simple Hack

by Chris Teague

Published: September 30th, 2024

New vehicles are becoming more and more connected, bringing features and technologies that felt like science fiction a few years ago. That level of connectivity comes with considerable risk, however, as cars connected to the internet in any way creates a potential for hacking. While many vulnerabilities require a high level of skill and knowledge to exploit, a team of researchers recently discovered a new, much easier method for gaining access to connected cars.

researchers gained control of some kia models using license plate numbers and a

The team announced that it had found a flaw in one of Kia’s web portals that gave them access to connected features in most of the automaker’s newer vehicles. They were able to exploit the flaw using a custom app to target vehicles and said they could quickly use the cars’ license plates to gain access to their location and other controls. The team could also remotely lock and unlock vehicles, honk their horns, and start the ignition.

Researchers told Kia of the problem in June, and the automaker seems to have closed the hole. It’s the second such vulnerability found in Kia’s systems, but the company is far from the only one at risk. A while back, Toyota’s supplier portal was hacked, giving researchers access to user data and more.

For now, the most significant problems have been found and reported by researchers and people with good intentions, but hackers’ ability to target vehicles and drivers based on license plate numbers, which are publicly visible at any time, should be a wake-up call that more serious problems could be ahead.

[Images: Kia]

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Chris Teague

Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.

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2 of 13 comments

Slavuta on Oct 01, 2024
Can they remotely push the clutch to start the 3-pedal car?.... get manual

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Bd2 on Oct 01, 2024
I wouldn't be surprised if Toyota funded this kind of research in some pathetic effort to slow Kia's meteoric rise to the top of the market. South Korea is a vertically synergized country where companies cooperate in concert with the central government to spread the South Korean culture to the world and wash away all of the Japanese influences over the past decades. BTS, LG , Samsung, Hyundai, Kia, Genesis are the most respected and trusted brands anywhere. What a lowlife godless tactic.

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