This team managed to hack a moving Tesla from 19km away

The idea of a connected car sounds like a great idea, but like all newly connected things, they’re vulnerable to cyber-attacks. Now, Chinese security researchers have upped the ante, by remotely hacking a Tesla while it was moving.

Researchers from Keen Security Lab were able to identify several vulnerabilities, using these security gaps to remotely control the Tesla Model S in parking and driving modes. The team used unmodified cars with the latest firmware to show off the attack.

The company also published a video, showing the researchers being able to remotely pop open the boot/doors, adjust seats, turn on indicators and fold the wing mirrors. But perhaps the scariest attack was the ability for a team member, situated far away at the office, to hit the brakes on a moving Tesla.

The Tesla was hacked via the so-called CAN Bus

“As far as we know, this is the first case of remote attack which compromises CAN Bus to achieve remote controls on Tesla cars. We have verified the attack vector on multiple varieties of Tesla Model S,” Keen Security Labs wrote on its blog.

“It is reasonable to assume that other Tesla models are affected.”

The team has been in touch with Tesla regarding the vulnerabilities, resulting in the automaker issuing a patch, according to The Verge.