How viral e-rickshaw hack exposes a national cybersecurity blind-spot As India pushes electric mobility, the episode has underscored the urgent need to embed cybersecurity into product design rather than treat it as an afterthought What began as a series of viral prank videos has rapidly evolved into a serious cybersecurity alarm for India’s rapidly expanding electric mobility sector. The ability to remotely switch off moving e-rickshaws using nothing more than a smartphone and a freely available Bluetooth application has exposed a glaring security flaw—one that experts warn could have implications far beyond three-wheelers. The episode has prompted the Union government to ask Apple and Google to remove at least seven mobile apps used to remotely disable e-rickshaws. The controversy centres on a Bluetooth battery management application, BAT-BMS, which researchers say allows users within a range of about 10-15 metres to disconnect power to an e-rickshaw without any authentication or specialised hacking skills. The incident has already prompted police action in Madhya Pradesh and drawn the attention of the Union ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY), raising concerns over the cyber resilience of connected vehicles. Rather than an isolated software bug, cybersecurity experts describe the episode as evidence of a far deeper problem: critical vehicle systems being designed with wireless maintenance interfaces that lack even basic authentication. “The e-rickshaw incident is not merely about a vulnerable app. It demonstrates how convenience has been prioritised over security in connected mobility,” say experts. The implications extend well beyond e-rickshaws. Researchers warn that the same design philosophy—wireless maintenance access left exposed through poorly secured Bluetooth, telemetry or diagnostic interfaces—exists across a wide range of connected platforms, including civilian drones, autonomous systems and smart mobility solutions. Many commercially available drones, particularly low-cost and prosumer platforms, rely on autopilot stacks, flight controllers and companion applications