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A newly disclosed vulnerability, CVE-2026-18411, affects Acrisure KARR BT and DR-100 automotive anti-theft systems by using a shared hard-coded Bluetooth authentication key across devices. The flaw, classified as CWE-321, allows an attacker within Bluetooth range to send unauthorized commands without prior privileges or user interaction, creating a direct path to compromise protected vehicle functions.
Security reporting and government advisories warn that successful exploitation could let an attacker unlock doors and interfere with engine immobilization on affected vehicles. The issue carries a CVSS v3.1 score reflecting high integrity and availability impact (AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H), and has been referenced by both a CISA ICS advisory and a CERT-PY notice covering the Bluetooth product vulnerability.
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CVE-2026-18411 was newly received by ics-cert@hq.dhs.gov for a hard-coded/shared Bluetooth authentication key issue affecting Acrisure KARR BT and DR-100 systems. The vulnerability could let an attacker within Bluetooth range issue unauthorized commands such as door unlocking or engine immobilization.
The vulnerable product scope covers Acrisure KARR BT and DR-100 automotive anti-theft systems in versions prior to July 20, 2026. The flaw involves a shared Bluetooth authentication key across affected devices.
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Researchers at the University of California San Diego disclosed severe flaws in the dealer-installed aftermarket **KARR Security System**, a Bluetooth-enabled alarm and anti-theft device estimated to be present in more than **2 million U.S. vehicles**. The vulnerabilities allow an attacker within Bluetooth range to silently unlock doors, disable alarms, trigger horns and lights, and even block the engine from starting, creating both theft and roadside immobilization risks. The researchers said the issue stems in part from a shared embedded authentication key used across KARR devices, which they extracted by reverse-engineering the official mobile app and validating with a proof-of-concept Android tool. The findings also raised privacy concerns because KARR devices broadcast identifiable Bluetooth signals that could be correlated with public WiGLE data to estimate deployment and potentially infer vehicle movements or frequently visited locations. **Acrisure Protection Group**, which sells the KARR system, released a firmware update after responsible disclosure, but remediation requires owners or dealerships to identify the hardware and manually apply the patch through the KARR smartphone app. Researchers warned that many drivers may not realize the device is installed, because it is often added by dealerships and can remain in vehicles after resale.
Aug 5, 2026
Researchers disclosed three vulnerabilities in Bluetooth audio devices built on Airoha systems-on-chip that can allow an attacker within radio range to gain unauthorized access to device memory and communications. The flaws, tracked as **`CVE-2025-20700`**, **`CVE-2025-20701`**, and **`CVE-2025-20702`**, stem from missing authentication in GATT and Bluetooth BR/EDR components and weak permission controls in a proprietary protocol, affecting headphones and earbuds sold by brands including **Sony, Bose, Jabra, JBL, Marshall, Beyerdynamic, and Teufel**. ERNW researchers said the bugs can be chained to hijack the Bluetooth link between a phone and an audio device, issue commands to the paired phone through the **Hands-Free Profile**, eavesdrop on conversations, and potentially overwrite firmware for remote code execution on the accessory. The attack requires proximity because exploitation is limited by Bluetooth range, but defenders were urged to apply vendor firmware updates and investigate or restart devices showing abnormal Bluetooth behavior.
Jul 24, 2026
Security researchers reported serious Bluetooth security weaknesses in personal mobility devices that allow unauthorized control at close range. An Estonian researcher reverse-engineered Äike’s app-controlled e-scooters after the company’s bankruptcy and alleged the scooters shipped with a single default/private “master” key rather than unique per-device secrets, enabling anyone who derives the key to generate valid challenge-response authentication and unlock/control any scooter model the company sold. Separately, researchers demonstrated remote control of **WHILL** wheelchairs over Bluetooth, prompting a **CISA advisory** stating the devices did not enforce authentication for Bluetooth connections. An attacker within Bluetooth range could pair without credentials or user interaction and then control movement, override speed restrictions, and alter configuration profiles—highlighting a broader risk pattern where weak or missing Bluetooth authentication in mobility/IoT products can translate directly into physical safety impacts.
Jun 29, 2026