Hundreds of thousands of British drivers are at risk of having their cars stolen after tech experts discovered how easy it is to hack their electronic ignition systems. After a two-year legal battle with Volkswagen, University of Birmingham computer scientist Flavio Garcia and his colleagues Baris Ege and Roel Verdult, from Radboud University Nijmegen in the Netherlands, have finally won the right to expose the major security flaw found in the keys of no less than 138 popular road vehicles - including the likes of pricey Porches, Ferraris and Audis. In total, 26 different car manufacturers all use digital keys found by the group to be operating with basic codes easily cracked by hackers. Scroll down for video Hundreds of thousands of British drivers are at risk of having their cars stolen after tech experts discovered how easy it is to hack their electronic ignition systems (stock photograph) The trio say the codes are so easy to intercept that it's child's play for anyone trying to break them. Once cracking the code, thieves then only have to craft their own signal emitter and any car is at their mercy. Mr Garcia told the Birmingham Mail: 'It's a bit like if your password was "password". In total, 26 different car manufacturers all use digital keys found by the group to be operating with basic codes easily cracked by hackers - including Volkswagen, who are already suffering serious problems The Audi A1 (pictured) is one of 16 different Audis affected. The scientists behind the investigation say the codes sent between fobs and cars are so easy to intercept that it's child's play for anyone trying to break them Skoda, Citroen, Fiat and Volvo are just some of the companies who have sold cars with the easily hacked codes - but so are supercars Porsche and Ferrari (pictured: a Ferrari California, one of the vehicles affected) 'We want to emphasise that it is important for the automotive industry to migrate from weak proprietary ciphers like this to community-reviewed ciphers and use it according to the guidelines.' Skoda, Citroen, Fiat and Volvo are just some of the companies who have sold cars with the easily hacked codes. German giant Volkswagen - who are already facing a £5billion bill for issues regarding false diesel emission readings in millions of their cars - have 29 different models affected, more than any other manufacturer. Volkswagen sued both the universities and researchers over their findings after first being made aware of the report. However, they have now agreed to the publication of the paper on the basis that a line which would allow any ordinary person to work out how to perform the hack was removed. From a computer expert's point of view, the break-in works by targeting the computer chip inside each car's key fob (pictured), known as a Megamos Crypto transponder From a computer expert's point of view, the break-in works by targeting the computer chip inside each car's key fob, known as a Megamos Crypto transponder. They are used in the plastic keys of most modern cars, and unlock the doors and start the engine. The transponder communicates with the car, 'talking' wirelessly when pressed to confirm its identity. Binary code means there are literally billions of possibilities for what the digital signal may be. However, the three men discovered that by tuning in to the wireless communication between the car and the transponder just twice, it was possible to narrow the number of potential combinations down to just 200,000. Automated 'cracking' programmes could then try every one of those 200,000 codes in just half-an-hour. After eventually finding a match, the vehicle could then be broken into. The men's dossier has raised genuine fears a hacker with the know-how could make off with a fleet of expensive cars. Mr Garcia and his fellow researchers presented their findings to a conference in Washington in August. They then offered Swiss firm EM Microelectronic, the team behind the Megamos Crypto transponder, nine months to rectify the issue or face the dossier being made public. At the more costly end of the scale, powerful engines including the likes of the Porsche 911 (pictured) are affected by the findings Honda Civic cars are also at risk of being broken into using the computer hack. In total, 26 manufacturers have cars that could be broken into and stolen using the process Popular family cars including the likes of the Volkswagen Beetle (pictured) use key fob's containing Megamos Crypto transponders, putting them all at the mercy of car thieves When contacted, the firm was unavailable for comment. However, Volkswagen said the hack takes 'considerable, complex effort that's unlikely to be used - except by tech-savvy, organized crime syndicates'. A spokesman added: 'In all aspects of vehicle security, be this mechanical or electronic, Volkswagen goes to great lengths to ensure the security and integrity of its products against external malicious attack.'
Autodealers ' woes continue , as it has been revealed that hundreds of thousands of car drivers are at risk of having their cars stolen , as a recent research report shows how easy it is to hack into car theft fobs of 138 different models , including Porches , trucks and Audis . These findings have come to light after Volkswagen , who has 29 % of car affected , lost its battle in court to silence three computer scientists behind the research from revealing the codes . The researchers say the codes are so easy to break , that it is child 's play for anyone trying to break them .