BMW says it has found a solution to a security flaw that could have allowed hackers to open doors of 2.2 million BMWs, Mini and Rolls-Royce vehicles.
The vulnerable cars had the ConnectedDrive software, which uses on-board SIM cards, to identify owners. A German motorist association, ADAC, took note of the security vulnerability and alerted BMW.
BMW officials aren’t aware that hackers ever exploited the security flaw.
Affected were mostly BMWs with ConnectedDrive, the Rolls-Royce Phantom and Mini hatchaback. The cars were made between March, 2010, and last December, according to ADAC. Once inside the car, hackers could have potentially put other systems at risk as well.
Fears have been raised recently that hackers could not only break into cars, but access other systems controlled by computers — including engine, steering, brakes and others — in age when cars are increasingly going digital.
BMW spokeswoman Silke Brigl said on Friday that hackers wouldn’t have been able to start or stop the engine.
Brigl said the problem has been fixed with an automatic update and customers don’t need to take any action.
