Ultra-Fast Wireless Power Hacking

TL;DR

This paper presents a rapid wireless power hacking method that can intrude and steal energy within three cycles of a high-frequency signal, exposing cybersecurity vulnerabilities in EV wireless charging systems.

Contribution

We developed a fast, parameter-free interceptor that synchronizes with the magnetic sensor phase to steal power quickly, surpassing previous methods in speed and simplicity.

Findings

Can steal over 76% of power in simulations and experiments

Operates within three cycles of the high-frequency signal

Effective against frequency-changing power encryption

Abstract

The rapid growth of electric vehicles (EVs) has driven the development of roadway wireless charging technology, effectively extending EV driving range. However, wireless charging introduces significant cybersecurity challenges. Any receiver within the magnetic field can potentially extract energy, and previous research demonstrated that a hacker could detect the operating frequency and steal substantial power. However, our approach required time to track new frequencies or precise adjustments of inductance and capacitance, which would be less effective against potential rapid transmitter frequency changes or capacitance drift. As a solution, we enhanced the interceptor and enabled it to intrude as well as steal energy within just three cycles of the high-frequency signal. Moreover, it can work without any circuit parameters or look-up tables. The key innovation is synchronizing the receiver current with the phase of the magnetic sensor voltage. Through MATLAB / Simulink simulations, finite-element analysis, and experimental validation, we demonstrated that our improved method can steal over 76% of the power received by a fully resonant receiver under identical conditions. This attack demonstrates that simple frequency-changing power encryption offers limited protection against such threats.