Millions Of Volkswagens Can Be Hacked With Key-less Entry

Over ten million Volkswagen vehicles are vulnerable to theft because keyless entry systems can be hacked using cheap technical devices, according to European researchers.
 says that computer security experts at the University of Birmingham recently published a paper outlining how they were able to duplicate VW remote keyless entry controls by eavesdropping on nearby drivers who are pressing their key fobs to open or lock their vehicles. Vehicles vulnerable to this hack attack include most Audi, VW, SEAT and Skoda models sold since 1995, and many of the approximately 100 million VW Group vehicles on the road since then, the researchers said. The flaw was found in car models as recent as the Audi Q3, model year 2016.
"It is conceivable that all VW Group (except for some Audi) cars manufactured in the past and partially today rely on a 'constant-key' scheme and are thus vulnerable to the attacks," the paper said.
The only exception to the hack are cars built on VW's latest MQB production platform, which is used in its top selling model the Golf VII, which the researchers concluded does not have the flaw.
"There are still some VW car models being sold that are not on the latest platform and which remain vulnerable to attack," Flavio Garcia, co-author of the report and a senior lecturer in computer security at University of Birmingham told Reuters.
A VW spokesman said that its current Golf, Tiguan, Touran and Passat models are the only cars not at risk from the attack.
"This current vehicle generation is not afflicted by the problems described," VW spokesman Peter Weisheit said in a statement, without commenting on the risks to other models.
In their paper, the researchers did not identify the exact source of manufacturers that are responsible for making the affected keyless systems for VW and potentially other car makers. VW declined to comment on its supplier relationships.
Garcia and co-author David Oswald, also a lecturer at Birmingham University, are scheduled to present their paper at the Usenix security conference in Austin, Texas on Friday.
The disclosures come as Europe's largest automaker struggles to overcome its biggest-ever corporate scandal, after it admitted to manipulating diesel emissions tests in about 11 million vehicles globally.
Basicially, if you have a car that has a keyless entry, watch your surroundings while entering your vehicle.  Your code can be hacked.