Modern cars are already as complex as a smartphone, which means they too can suffer from similar vulnerabilities. And in the age of social media, when you find out, millions of people have the power to take your car as if nothing had happened.
[La luz para coche con conexión móvil obligatoria de la DGT ya está aquí y así puedes comprarla]
This is what happened with the “Kia Challenge” (Kia Challenge), a viral challenge that has become popular on TikTok and so called because it allows you to steal Kia brand cars, in addition to those of its “sister “Hyundai.
Kia and Hyundai stolen by a TikTok challenge
It all started when someone discovered that Kia and Hyundai models launched in the United States between 2015 and 2019 lacked a electronic immobilizer; This basic security measure is already widespread among most manufacturers on the market and consists of verifying that the key used to start the car is real. In case the system does not recognize the key, you can take measures like turning off the fuel pump to block the movement of the car.
A group of TikTok users, called the “Kia Boyz”, have posted short videos showing how basic tools like a USB cable can be used to bypass the security system and start the car; In the absence of an electronic immobilizer, the user takes control of the vehicle and can take it as if it were their own.
TikTok is full of videos and references to “Kia Boyz”
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What started as a fad ended up becoming a marketing nightmare for Kia and Hyundai. Although there is no national data, it is clear that car thefts of these brands have skyrocketed in recent months, with some cities like Milwaukee reporting thousands more cases than usual, according to NPR. . Additionally, the U.S. Public Highway Safety Administration, NHTSA, has confirmed at least 14 accidents and eight deaths related to the theft of vehicles of these brands.
Finally, Kia and Hyundai had no choice but to announce one of the biggest car update campaigns in history. 3.8 million Hyundai vehicles and 4.5 million Kia vehicles are eligible for a software update to address this issue. The update will be free and owners will only need to take the car to their dealership, where they will also receive a sticker with which they hope to convince TikTok users not to attempt theft.
Among the changes introduced by the update, there are some simple ones like a longer alarm duration, but also others that affect the use of the car; for example, from now on it will be mandatory to insert the key to start the car. The most striking function is the one that completely turns off the car when we lock the car by pressing the key button; this way the car cannot be forcibly started using other methods until the button is pressed again.
Currently there is no information on whether this vulnerability also affects vehicles sold in Europe.
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