The hack means, according to Promon, that complete control of a vehicle, including locating it, opening the door and switching on its keyless driving.

Tom Lysemose Hansen, founder and CTO at Promon said: “Keen Security Labs’ recent research exploited flaws in the CAN bus systems of Tesla vehicles, enabling them to take control of a limited number of functions of the car. Our test is the first one to use the Tesla app as an entry point, and goes a step further by showing that a compromised app can lead directly to the theft of a car.”

He reckons that if you can find a wi-fi hotspot, close to a Tesla charging point, hackers can get access to peoples’ mobile device.

He said: “Mobile-focused criminals are more skilled than ever before, and are using a lack of security in mobile apps as an increasingly lucrative source of revenue. Remotely controlling and stealing Tesla cars is a particularly dangerous example of just what can be done, but in theory, any app without the necessary protection in place could be affected.”

Promon is in contact with Tesla over the problem. It has posted a video on its website, which you can find here -  https://promon.co/blog/tesla-cars-can-be-stolen-by-hacking-the-app/