Hacker Reveals Honda And Acura Vehicles Are Prone To Attack

Aug. 31, 2021 11:54 AM ET by Sebastian Cenizo Technology / 8 Comments

This doesn't look good.

Technology brings with it many ways of enhancing convenience in our everyday lives. As our advances as a species continue to break new ground, we find more and more ways of making our lives easier, and that is certainly apparent in our cars. What should really be nothing more than transport is now a climate-controlled luxury sitting room with a skylight and sometimes even a drinks bar. Another innovation that makes our lives with cars easier is keyless entry, but according to one hacker, this innovation should be a cause for concern if you own a Honda or an Acura.

2022 Honda Civic Hatchback Spy shots Driving Front Angle

2022 Honda Civic Hatchback Spy shots Rear View Driving

We've discussed the topic of how keyless entry works in-depth, but to sum up, radio waves transmit a signal from the key fob to the car, and when in close proximity, the car recognizes that it needs to unlock. The opposite is also true when the proximity to the car decreases, telling the car to lock itself. We've pondered if the technology makes cars equipped with it more prone to theft, and a hacker who goes by the name of 'HackingIntoYourHeart' has now claimed that, at least for Hondas and Acuras, such fears are warranted. Worse still, it's not even difficult or expensive to hack these cars and gain easy entry.

The hacker claims that you use what is known as a replay attack, recording signals from the keyfob of a Honda Civic or Acura TLX or similar. But if it's so simple, why are all brands and types of cars at risk? Well, the hacker continues that there is no rolling code system in Hondas or Acuras, which means that once the keyfob sends a signal to the car to lock or unlock, it does not change the sort of radio wave 'encryption,' if you will, and the exact same signal can be used over and over. Most other brands do change the required signal continually, but we should note that at this point that we have not seen anyone prove or disprove this theory. So, if you own a Honda or Acura, stay alert until we bring you more.