Nissan Leafs Can Be Hacked From Virtually Anywhere

2016 Nissan Leaf (Credit: Nissan)

If you or someone you know has a Nissan Leaf, you need to know there’s a security risk associated with the car. The threat was uncovered by security researcher and white hat hacker Troy Hunt. Basically, a person from pretty much anywhere in the world can use a web browser to gain access to the Leaf, opening up some frightening possibilities.

Thankfully Hunt and others have only been able to commandeer the climate control system on the car. That’s not the only risk. As you can see in the video below, Hunt was able to hack his colleague’s Leaf from the other side of the world, gaining access to data on the car. While some might not see that as a big deal, hopefully Nissan’s taking the security flaw seriously.

This was all accomplished via the Nissan Leaf mobile app. Owners can use it to heat or cool the car in advance, which would explain why Hunt could control the climate control. They can also check on the charge state, and see how they’ve used the car.

All hackers need to gain access to a Nissan Leaf is the VIN. You can walk up to any car in a parking lot and read the number through the windshield, so that’s not hard. Or hackers can just guess until they get a VIN right.

Making the whole hacking situation worse, Hunt found that he could make requests to any Leaf in the world anonymously. Basically, Nissan uses no security to keep hackers from getting info from Leafs, or turning on the AC/heater randomly.

As cars become more technologically advanced and connected, many have grown skeptical of how safe they really are. You can believe what you want, but the fact is too many vehicles have lax safeguards, especially when compared to smartphones and computers.

Hunt said he contacted Nissan about the security risk, but after over a month there’s no solution. He fears that it’s only a matter of time before hackers figure out how to take over critical systems such as the throttle or steering.