Once logged in, the hackers could even create a new “phone key,” allowing them to come back to the vehicle later and drive off with it without raising suspicion.
That’s because Tesla doesn’t actually notify the user if a new key is created, as Mysk and Bakry point out in their video.
Mysk tested out the vulnerability on his own Tesla and found that he was easily able to create new phone keys without ever having access to the original, physical key card. That’s despite Tesla promising that wasn’t possible in its owner’s manual.
Once he told Tesla about his findings, the EV maker underplayed the vulnerability, telling him it was all by design and “intended behavior,” an assertion that Mysk called “preposterous” in his interview with Gizmodo.
“The design to pair a phone key is clearly made super easy at the expense of security,” he said.
Mysk argues it would be easy for the automaker to plug the vulnerability by simply notifying users if a new phone key is created.
Weird the dudes name is so close to Musk, but it sounds like this would be something incredibly easy for Tesla to fix, they’re just not doing it and denying it’s a problem…
It’s something they “broke” recently. You used to require a physical card to pair a new phone key. I noticed when I replaced my phone that it was no longer needed. They should be able to fix it easily, but I’m sure they won’t.
You can enable pin to drive to reduce the risk, but if you have the creds and there is no 2FA on the account then you can use the app to bypass it.
Really, crap, when I brought my Tesla home I promptly put the keycards somewhere secret even to me, expecting to never need them again
