Hyundai and Kia have patched a security flaw that enabled hackers to steal cars using a USB cable.
The flaw was made public through TikTok videos that taught people how to take advantage of it.
- The
security bug is tied to a logic flaw that allows the
turn-key-to-start system to bypass the immobilizer that verifies the
key's transponder to the car's ECU.
- This flaw affected nearly 3.8 million Hyundai vehicles and 4.5 million Kia vehicles.
- As a result of the flaw being exploited, at least 14 car crashes and eight fatalities happened.
- There was a 900% increase in Kia and Hyundai thefts in Chicago in 2022, while Los Angeles saw an 85% increase YoY.
- The two companies will provide a software upgrade free of charge for all impacted vehicles.
- The rollout started being implemented to more than 1 million vehicles and will last until June 2023.
