A carjacker points a small handheld gadget—resembling a tiny video game controller—at a stranger’s vehicle.
After several attempts, the car’s doors unlock, allowing the thief to drive it away without inflicting any harm, thus simplifying its dismantling and sale for parts.
That’s the worrying new threat to American car owners uncovered in a recent investigation by 404 Media, an independent journalism outfit.
Far different from the high-stakes robberies shown in “Gone in 60 Seconds” or the chaotic window-breaking scenes of “Grand Theft Auto,” this technique enables car thieves to operate quietly and effectively.
Russian hackers are adapting illegal software for the Flipper Zero — a device typically meant for harmless tech pranks like accessing Wi-Fi networks or tampering with store RFID codes.
‘Flipper Zero is a tiny piece of hardware with a curious personality of a cyber-dolphin,’ the company that makes the handheld remote explains.
‘It can interact with digital systems in real life and grow while you use it.’
Movies like Nicolas Cage’s Gone in 60 Seconds showed high-stakes, well-planned car heists – tech experts warn thats the game of the past
The Flipper Zero is a small handheld device that is popular among tech wizards
Known only as Daniel, a Russian hacker revealed to 404 that he sells these software modifications for between $600 to $1,000. He has distributed around 150 copies, mostly in Russia, noting that both locksmiths and auto shop proprietors are keen to acquire this technology.
‘Maybe someone is using it to steal from cars or steal cars,’ Daniel, one of the Russian-based black market sellers, said.
So far, the hacker has found ways to unlock doors on more than 200 models from global automakers.
Some of the models accessible with the digital patch were built in 2001, while others were assembled this year.
Flipper Devices says its remote has not been tied to any US vehicle thefts.
‘The device has limited functionality and cannot be used as a repeater to attack keyless entry systems,’ the company told the Daily Mail.
‘It does not have the hardware to suppress radio signals, which would be necessary to crack vehicle safety systems.’
But, in several blogs, the company argues that carmakers have continued rolling out vehicles with wildly outdated safety technology.
Victims of car jackings have often found their vehicles completely destroyed
Carjackings have risen since 2019, including this horrifying footage a terrified woman hung on to the hood of her own car
Even though the hacking trend hasn’t spread to the US, car theft has already fueled political strife at home.
Thefts rose sharply between 2019 and 2023.
Before the pandemic, 20.1 out of every 100,000 drivers fell victim. That number spiked to over 30.
The method gained traction through the Kia Boys TikTok trend, which showed kids snatching older Kia and Hyundai models and going on high-speed joyrides.
Carjackings have slowed somewhat since the peak, but rates remain above pre-pandemic levels.
An incident involving an attempted car theft has even been linked to an armed intervention ordered by President Donald Trump in Washington, DC, where a White House staff member was reportedly assaulted in a carjacking.
Still, there are simple ways to lower your risk, independent experts told the Daily Mail.
‘The main things to remember are sight and light,’ Dave Baker, the security architect at LiveView Technologies, a surveillence camera company, told the Daily Mail.
‘The best advice is to be proactive and make your car as visible and unattractive to thieves as possible.’
Flipper Devices didn’t immediately respond to the Daily Mail’s request for comment.
