Cyberattacks Targeting Electric-Car Chargers Increasing

The number of cyberattacks on electric vehicle (EV) chargers is rising, as hackers find more ways to infiltrate privately-operated infrastructure.

According to Upstream’s 2025 Automotive & Smart Mobility Global Cybersecurity Report, these cyberattacks increased by 39 per cent in 2024 compared with the previous year.

It claims the dramatic escalation in the number of incidents can be attributed to ransomware attacks – in which hackers attempt to blackmail the victim by either locking them out of their systems or threatening to release sensitive company data online, unless a ransom is paid.

With financial backing from BMW’s venture capital arm and Hyundai, Upsteam is a specialist in mobile data security, and disclosed dozens of cases of EV chargers being targeted by cyberattackers – with numbers increasing year-on-year.

While also becoming more common, the level of risk to consumers is also going up.

Now in its seventh year, the annual report found 60 per cent of the attacks in 2024 could have reached millions of devices, including chargers, mobile apps, and electric vehicles.

This is despite the growing number of regulations regarding cybersecurity and greater awareness of the risks by companies.

“Cyber threats are evolving faster than the industry is prepared to handle, outpacing regulation-driven measures,” said Yoav Levy, CEO and co-founder of Upstream.

“Threat actors have already shifted toward large-scale, sophisticated and AI-powered attack methods, targeting not only vehicles but also interconnected systems such as EV charging infrastructure, API-driven apps, and smart mobility [Internet of Things] devices.”