CVE-2026-49324: 2025 Indian Motorcycle Scout Bobber + Tech Immobilizer Lockout Vulnerability

Technical summary

CVE-2026-49324 is an uncontrolled resource consumption vulnerability (CWE-307, CWE-400, CWE-770) in the Wireless Control Module of the 2025 Indian Motorcycle Scout Bobber + Tech. The immobilizer authentication mechanism enforces a brute-force lockout counter, but this counter has critical design flaws: it is accessible via unauthenticated messages, lacks session binding, and does not reset on power cycle. An adjacent-network attacker with write access to the in-vehicle network can deliberately exhaust the lockout threshold with a small number of crafted frames, rendering the immobilizer permanently non-functional until manual dealer intervention. The CVSS v3.1 score of 4.6 (MEDIUM, AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H) reflects physical/proximity attack vector and high availability impact but no confidentiality or integrity loss.

Business impact

This vulnerability creates a denial-of-service condition specific to motorcycle operation and ownership experience. Affected owners face immobilization without user action or error, forcing emergency roadside recovery and dealer service calls. For Indian Motorcycle and authorized dealers, this represents warranty claim volume, customer satisfaction risk, and potential liability exposure if vehicles are immobilized during critical use. Fleet operators or ride-sharing services using 2025 Scout Bobber + Tech units would face unexpected downtime and operational disruption. The attack requires physical proximity to the vehicle and access to its in-vehicle network (CAN-bus, proprietary wireless mesh, or similar), limiting widespread abuse but increasing risk for parked or valet-parked motorcycles.

Affected systems

Indian Motorcycle Scout Bobber + Tech 2025 model year. The vulnerability is isolated to the Wireless Control Module and immobilizer subsystem of this specific platform. Earlier or later model years, other Indian Motorcycle models, or the Scout Bobber without the Tech package have not been confirmed as affected based on available information. Organizations operating or servicing these motorcycles should assume all 2025 Scout Bobber + Tech units are potentially vulnerable pending vendor remediation.

Exploitability

Exploitability is constrained by the physical and network-access requirements. An attacker must be adjacent to the target motorcycle (within wireless range of its Wireless Control Module) and must have write access to the in-vehicle network—a significant barrier for opportunistic attacks. However, the vulnerability does not require authentication or user interaction, and the lockout can be triggered with a small number of frames, making execution trivial once network access is achieved. The lockout persistence across power cycles eliminates the ability for owners to self-recover, making this a high-impact availability attack despite the access barrier. This is not currently tracked in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.

Remediation

Remediation requires a firmware or software update to the Wireless Control Module that: (1) implements session-based or cryptographic binding for the lockout counter, preventing unauthenticated access; (2) enforces proper power-cycle reset of the lockout state; (3) restricts counter-modification to authenticated, authorized agents only; and (4) implements rate limiting or throttling on authentication attempts. Owners should monitor official Indian Motorcycle communications and dealer announcements for firmware updates. In the interim, risk can be partially mitigated by securing vehicle access (parking in controlled or well-lit areas, avoiding valet scenarios) and disabling remote features where feasible, though these are not substitutes for a proper patch.

Patch guidance

Monitor the official Indian Motorcycle website and authorized dealer channels for firmware updates to the Wireless Control Module. When available, patches should be applied via dealer service or authorized software update procedure—do not attempt manual firmware modification. Verify patch application with your dealer to ensure the lockout counter is properly reset and the immobilizer responds normally. Given the criticality of immobilizer function, prioritize this update above routine maintenance but allow dealer technicians to perform the work to avoid additional vehicle complications.

Detection guidance

Detection is challenging at the endpoint level due to the in-vehicle network architecture. Dealers and service teams can monitor for repeated immobilizer authentication failures or lockout events in vehicle diagnostics logs if such telemetry is captured. Organizations with managed fleets should enable any diagnostic logging available through the vehicle's telematics or service interfaces and alert on abnormal immobilizer state transitions. For users, be alert to immobilizers failing to respond or repeatedly refusing valid key fobs after extended parking, especially in shared or valet-accessed locations. Escalate such incidents to dealer diagnostic imaging.

Why prioritize this

Although the CVSS score is MEDIUM (4.6), prioritization should consider the complete denial-of-service nature of the impact and the lack of user-initiated recovery path. A successful attack leaves a vehicle permanently immobilized without owner action, creating safety, logistics, and liability concerns disproportionate to a traditional MEDIUM rating. Organizations operating affected 2025 Scout Bobber + Tech motorcycles should treat this as HIGH priority for patch deployment once available, because the barrier to exploitation (adjacency and in-vehicle network access) is lower in certain threat models (e.g., compromised service networks, malicious valets, or insider threats). For consumer owners, urgency depends on parking environment and usage patterns; high-risk scenarios (frequent valet, public parking, service center access) warrant immediate patch application.

Risk score, explained

The CVSS v3.1 score of 4.6 reflects: Attack Vector: Physical/Proximity (AV:P)—attacker must be adjacent to the wireless module and have write access to the in-vehicle network; Attack Complexity: Low (AC:L)—once network access is achieved, no special conditions or tricks are required; Privileges Required: None (PR:N)—the lockout counter is unauthenticated; User Interaction: None (UI:N)—no victim action needed; Scope: Unchanged (S:U)—impact is confined to the motorcycle; Confidentiality: None (C:N)—no data exposure; Integrity: None (I:N)—data is not corrupted, though system state is maliciously altered; Availability: High (A:H)—the motorcycle cannot start. The MEDIUM severity reflects the adjacency requirement and lack of remote exploitability, but does not fully capture the completeness of the denial-of-service or the lack of recovery without dealer intervention.

Frequently asked questions