A popular Japanese electric car became a radio-controlled toy in the hands of hackers (1 photo + 1 video)

Hungarian cybersecurity company PCAutomotive presented an exploit and a demonstration of remote access to a 2020 Nissan LEAF electric vehicle at the Black Hat Asia 2025 conference. Using vulnerabilities in Bluetooth and the car’s hardware, hackers were able to monitor the car, its passengers, and even take control of the steering wheel — and more.



The vulnerability discovered is a set of ten errors in Bluetooth protocols and electric vehicle systems. Information about the vulnerability was shared with Nissan back in 2024. In fact, everything that the PCAutomotive team showed in the video and talked about during the presentation has already been patched by both the automaker and companies in the supply chain. Losing control of a car while driving is an extremely serious threat, although leaking confidential data does not bode well either.

Using "a couple of things from eBay", a keyboard and an exploit, specialists were able to remotely connect to a Nissan LEAF electric vehicle. They gained access to GPS data, conversations in the cabin, were able to take pictures using the built-in camera and play sound through the car's multimedia system. They also gained access to most of the car's systems - from controlling the mirrors and windshield wipers to turning the steering wheel.