Chinese hackers take control of high-tech Tesla and cash in on bounty program

A group of Chinese hackers have showed how it was possible to take control of a new model Tesla and hit the brakes from almost 20km away.

Armed with nothing more than a laptop and hacking skills, the trio exposed the vulnerabilities of two high-tech Tesla vehicles in an eight-minute video sure to disturb the US manufacturer and its growing base of customers.

Samuel LV, Sen Nie, Ling Liu and Wen Lu, all from Keen Security Lab, have shared their results with Tesla, who are now coordinating with the men to fix the issues.

Watch more: Hackers take control of Jeep and crash it into ditch

The experiment started off innocuously enough, with the group using a laptop to wirelessly move the car seat back and forth, open the sun roof and flick on the indicators with a few deft key strokes.

Worryingly, they were then able to pop the car door open without the key and avoid triggering the security alarm.

Then things took a slightly more sinister turn; as one of the group drove the car slowly through an empty outdoor car park, the laptop was used to turn the windshield wipers on and off, mess with the side mirrors and open the boot.

Their coup de grace came next, with a hacker on a laptop able to slam on the brakes – despite being some 20kms away.

Lu, Liu and LV carried out the hacks on the Tesla Model S P85 and Model 75D, but said they would be able to exert control over any of the manufacturer's expensive fleet.

The three hackers will now cash in on their internet infamy, thanks to Tesla's bounty program that rewards those who find and report bugs to the company.