The hackers from Keen Security Labs, a part of Chinese Internet giant Tencent Holdings discovered some critical security flaws in Tesla Model X “holiday show” easter egg allowing them to take over the vehicle remotely.
Upon gaining control, the hackers turned on its brakes, adjusted the lights, so they blink with the music streaming from the car’s radio, opened the doors and trunk. All this without even touching the car.
The hack was possible by exploiting vulnerabilities in the vehicle’s latest firmware after which hackers sent malicious software to the web browser. The hackers then remotely took over the control of the car using Cellular and WiFi connection.
The hackers discovered these vulnerabilities in June and alerted the company who was quick to fix the issue within two weeks. In a statement released by Tesla, the company said it highly recommends researchers to find such vulnerabilities and inform them so they can be fixed before risking lives.
However, this is not the first time when hackers at Keen Security Labs have hacked Tesla Model X. Last year, the hackers exploited security flaws and remotely took control of Tesla’s brakes from 12 miles away.
Then last year again, IT security researchers from Norway-based firm Promon found critical vulnerabilities in the Tesla smartphone app on iOS and Android that allowed hackers to locate Tesla Model S, unlock, enable keyless driving functionality and steal the vehicle without any restrictions.