Digital license plates found vulnerable to hacking, enabling license number manipulation

Security researcher Josep Rodriguez from IOActive found a major bug in Reviver's digital license plates. The bug lets people mess with the numbers on the plates without permission, which could allow drivers to dodge traffic tickets and other enforcement systems.

The issue affects all of Reviver's digital plates, including around 65,000 units sold across the U.S. Rodriguez showed how you can physically tinker with the plate’s hardware to take full control of the display, ignoring all the company’s security protections.

To break into the plate, you have to peel off a protective sticker and hook up to its internal components. Once you’ve done that, the display can be controlled via Bluetooth from a phone app, letting you instantly change the numbers shown.

This problem raises some serious concerns for law enforcement and traffic systems. With modified plates, people could:

• Dodge speed cameras
• Avoid toll booths
• Cheat parking enforcement
• Fool police license plate readers
• Escape traffic surveillance

Even worse, the hacked plates could copy real license numbers from other cars, making it easy to pin traffic violations on innocent drivers.

Reviver responded by pointing out that tampering with the plates is illegal. They also said you need “special tools and knowledge” to pull it off, but Rodriguez pushed back, saying he built a tool that makes the process way easier than they claim.

Since the vulnerability is tied to the hardware itself, it can’t just be fixed with a software update. To actually fix the problem, Reviver would have to physically replace chips in every affected plate. The company says they’re working on redesigning future models to prevent this kind of hack.

This isn’t Reviver’s first run-in with security problems. Back in 2022, another researcher, Sam Curry, found issues with the company’s web systems. Those problems were quickly patched with software updates, but it’s not so simple this time.