--- title: "Tesla Is Giving Away a Model 3 if You Can Successfully Hack One" description: "Tesla is offering up a mid-range Model 3 for anybody capable of hacking into it at a security event in Vancouver, Canada." date: "2019-01-15" modified: "2019-01-15" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/free-tesla-model-3-hack" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Tesla" tags: - "car hack" - "elon musk" - "Model 3" - "tesla" --- # Tesla Is Giving Away a Model 3 if You Can Successfully Hack One ![Tesla is offering up a mid-range Model 3 for anybody capable of hacking into it at a security event in Vancouver, Canada.]() *\Image: B\_A/Tesla/Tag Hartman-Simkins\* ## Fob Off You can unlock a Tesla Model 3 by walking up to it with your phone in your pocket or by tapping a key card on the side of the car door. But there may be another way in: by exposing security flaws of the car's built-in computer. Or at least, that's what Tesla is officially investigating. According to *Teslarati*, Elon Musk's electric vehicle company is [offering up]() a mid-range rear-wheel-drive Model 3 — valued at roughly $33,000 USD — to anybody savvy enough to gain access without a legitimate key card or authenticated smartphone. ## Pwning Tesla Hackers will have three days as part of the "Pwn2Own" contest, held at the Vancouver-based CanSec West security conference in March. Tesla will provide the Model 3. Tesla launched its bug bounty program, which is essentially a way to reward hackers for exposing security flaws, back in 2014. According to bugcrowd.com — a crowdsourced security platform that Tesla [uses]() — hackers have to disclose the exact vulnerability they found related to Tesla's vehicles. The company will pay rewards ranging from [$100 to $15,000]() depending on the severity. ## Win-Win Since the start of its bug bounty program, Tesla has introduced new security measures in response, adding cryptographic software validation to both its smartphone app and key fobs. It's a win-win for one of the most successful EV manufacturers: make their cars secure, while also creating some more hype for the [best-selling luxury car in the U.S.]() in 2018. **READ MORE:** [Tesla is giving away a Model 3 in Pwn2Own hacking contest]() \[*Teslarati*\] ***More on the Model 3: [Tesla Just Dropped “Full Self-Driving” Mode From the Model 3]()*** ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()