BMW Fixes Glitch That Allowed Hackers To Unlock Up To 2.2 Million Cars

Feb. 01, 2015 9:18 AM ET by Jay Traugott Technology / 40 Comments

Welcome to the 21st century, everyone. SKYNET is almost here.

Before SKYNET takes over (and it will), we're now living in a world of human hackers. Aside from banking and other financial and corporate websites being hacked with your valuable personal data in tow, it turns out that cars are already hackable. Just wait until they start driving themselves. That'll be interesting, to say the least. BMW has just announced that it's fixed a security flaw that could have allowed those pesky hackers the chance to unlock the doors of up to 2.2 million Minis, BMWs, and Rolls-Royce models.

Lovely. The cars affected all came equipped with the German automaker's ConnectedDrive software which uses on-board SIM cards. BMW claims the specific risk occurred when data was transmitted, potentially allowing hackers to gain access to the onboard vehicle computer systems that manage everything from engines and brakes to even the air conditioning. To its credit, BMW discovered the glitch before hackers got to it. The cars specifically affected included the Rolls-Royce Phantom, Mini hatchback, and most of the BMW lineup, including the new i3. All cars were built between March 2010 and December 2014.