Editor-DN
Using a small “Game Boy”-like device, thieves can steal Hyundai and Kia EVs in seconds.
Hyundai and Kia are no strangers to theft issues. In 2022 and 2023, brands then made news Kia Boys Using low-tech methods to steal base model cars, such as using a USB charger to bend the ignition cylinder. Since then, attacks have gotten more sophisticated, and now thieves with deep pockets and lofty ambitions are finding the Hyundai EV as a target.
Their device? A hacking apparatus that looks like a Nintendo Game Boy.
Hyundai’s theft problems
In 2021, there was an increase in stolen Hyundai and Kia vehicles in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The thefts were eventually blamed on a group called the “Kaya Boys” who drove the vehicles for use, driving them recklessly before trashing them or leaving them on the side of the road when they ran out of gas. . Eventually, the theft became a viral sensation on social media and resulted in some of the affected models becoming uninsurable.
Theft reports Hyundai Ioniq 5s It started Pop up late last year. Owners were waking up to missing vehicles on their cellphones or notifications that their cars had been unlocked, and eventually couldn’t be tracked with their Hyundai app.
Impute Boys in the game.
Technically, the device is called an emulator, but it’s a bunch of radio transmission hardware that someone in Europe stuffed into a shell similar to Nintendo’s classic handheld. This device has been around. For a few years. But based on the devices we’ve seen for sale and the vehicles that are “compatible” with them, Hyundai Motor Group EVs are now the first electric models with specific targets.
This would be done by touching the door handle after the car wakes up and activating the handshake protocol between the car and the owner’s key fob. A program is then activated on the emulator that starts talking to the car. It tricks the device into thinking it’s a legitimate key by using a specific algorithm that will eventually calculate the correct code — usually in seconds. If it takes a little longer, the thief can put the device in his pocket and wait for it to vibrate to indicate he’s received the code and saved it for use. Is.
Here’s a video showing one such apparent theft:
(InsideEVs intentionally did not include any information on where or how to obtain this technology as part of this report, which exists to inform owners of its existence.)
Now, we’ve seen more sophisticated technical attacks in the past. Relay attacks—where thieves use devices to extend the range of a key fob to trick the car into thinking the key is within inches of the car instead of dozens of feet away—have been the most common. Even Tesla vehicles have been victims of such attacks.Which may be what one thinks is happening with the Ioniq 5. But in some cases, The owners were also not in the same country when the theft occurred..
The device then unlocks the vehicle and can be used as a key to start it. And when safely away from the scene, the thief can remove the car’s connectivity modules to render GPS and in-app tracking useless.
Resellers of the device claim that the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6, and Genesis GV60 can be stolen in seconds. Other domestic models of the Korean automaker that have been affected are the Kia Niro, Forte, and K5. There are many other models that are vulnerable to this type of attack but require generating a unique PIN using the car’s VIN, which is visible from the outside of the car.
In this report by Polish media outlet Polsat News, you can watch a journalist and a law enforcement official demonstrate one such device for about six minutes:
We reached out to Hyundai to find out how much the automaker knows about this special disposition for its theft protection, however, the automaker was unable to provide us with any information at the time of writing.
Hyundai and Kia are not alone in this high-tech battle. The same resellers offer console-like devices that can power key combinations for modern Infiniti, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru and Toyota vehicles, as well as other vehicles not sold in the US. .
It’s not uncommon to hide car hacking tools to look inconspicuous. Thieves have it too. CAN-injection hardware Cars were stolen in similar high-tech fashion with fake JBL speakers hidden inside. Some other devices are designed to look like key fobs or even Android phones.
This particular example of theft outlines something that is almost non-consumer or local. Law enforcement agency Ready for the taking: With enough cash and a compatible car, a thief can end your ride in seconds with just this device.
The only thing keeping these devices out of reach is the price tag. The few InsideEVs examples that surfaced were priced between $16,000 and $30,000, which is, admittedly, a fraction of a new price. Hyundai Ioniq 5N or Kia EV6 GT. But that’s the only thing between a weak car and the Stryker Group offering the car to the highest bidder.
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