BMW

Perhaps Google (Alphabet?) should have googled its new name before it decided to restructure the whole company.

The New York Times reports that Google's new parent company, Alphabet, has encountered an issue with german automaker BMW, which owns a fleet services company with the same name and the domain Alphabet.com.

A spokesperson for BMW told the Times the company isn't planning on selling its domain and that Alphabet was a large part of its business.

A security vulnerability in BMW's Connected Drive system allowed researchers to imitate BMW servers and send remote unlocking instructions to vehicles.

The problem was discovered by the Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club (ADAC), a German motoring association, and was verified on several models of BMW cars.

On-board diagnostics (OBD) security bypass kits, replete with reprogramming modules and blank keys, are reportedly enabling low-intelligence thieves to steal high-end cars such as BMWs in a matter of seconds or minutes.

According to The Register, the $30 bypass tools are being shipped from China and Eastern Europe in kit form to unskilled criminals.

Automobile enthusiasts are pointing to an unusual spike in the number of BMW thefts in the U.K. this year. Expensive cars being stolen isn't anything to write home about, but the reason for this new trend definitely is: the cars in question are keyless. Multiple BMW models are being swiped without activating car alarms or immobilizers because the thieves are hacking their way into the vehicles.