Is the Flipper Zero the next big car theft gadget?

404 Media has a report out about an underground software market that enables the Flipper Zero to be used to unlock a wide variety of vehicles, including Ford, Audi, Volkswagen, Subaru, Hyundai, Kia, and several other models.

The hack works by intercepting and cloning a key fob’s radio signal using custom firmware built for the Flipper Zero, a handheld device designed for analyzing and testing wireless communication protocols.

The patches are sold for a fee, though 404 notes that the software getting cracked could lead to more people acquiring it for free. The outlet likens the phenomenon to the Kia Boys, a loose collective of teenage car thieves who used USB cables to target tens of thousands of Hyundai and Kia vehicles that lacked electronic immobilizers.

“Kia Boys will be Flipper Boys by 2026,” Cody Kociemba, a reverse engineer who goes by the handle Trikk and who has cracked some of the software, told 404 Media.

This isn’t the first time that radio attacks have been used to steal cars. Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis vehicles are under attack in the UK from thieves using a GameBoy-like device to unlock and start cars without a key. The automaker is selling a security fix to customers for £49 ($65).

To be sure, the Kia Boys took off because how simple it was to steal the cars. The Flipper Zero hack requires you to first own one of the gadgets and then have the wherewithal to purchase (or steal) the firmware to enable the cloning of the vehicle’s key fob signal. Even then, its not clear that the device can be used to do anything more than unlock the vehicle.

Still, if the code because widely available — as 404 claims it is — it does seem likely that this could become a much bigger problem.

Update August 25th: Anna Bikmansurova, a spokesperson for Flipper Devices, sent the following statement after the publication of this article.

”We are not aware of any officially confirmed cases of theft using a Flipper Zero. The device has limited functionality and can’t be used as a repeater to attack keyless entry systems. It doesn’t have the hardware to suppress the radio signals, which would be necessary to crack systems that properly utilize rolling codes.

It’s also worth noting that the New Jersey Cybersecurity & Communications Integration Cell (NJCCIC) in the U.S. has conducted a thorough independent review of the Flipper Zero. Their report confirms its limitations and clarifies misconceptions around its use. You can read the full analysis here: https://www.cyber.nj.gov/Home/Components/News/News/1012/

We have seen reports from researchers, who have used Flipper Zero with third-party software and hardware to exploit brazen vulnerabilities in certain cars. We hope car manufacturers will take security of their products more seriously and patch them up immediately, as carjackers have access to extremely sophisticated black market tools. Flipper Zero is primarily a multipurpose tool intended for security researchers to test and demonstrate vulnerabilities responsibly. Malicious actors typically rely on different devices and methods, many of which are openly sold online.

Ultimately, the real issue lies in how some car manufacturers continue to ship systems with outdated security models. Until companies take security more seriously and roll out regular updates, these vulnerabilities will persist regardless of the tool used.”