7 Helpful Tricks To Making The Most Of Your Cars Being Stolen With Keyless Entry
7 Helpful Tricks To Making The Most Of Your Cars Being Stolen With Keyless Entry
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Cars Being Stolen With Keyless Entry
Car owners who leave keys on tables or in front of their front door could be allowing thieves to hijack the signal. This relay attack is a high-tech technique used by criminals to steal new keyless vehicles.
Keyless ignition vehicles emit an extremely low-power radio signal, seeking a compatible fob that can respond. If the signal is recorded and recreated, it could be used to unlock the car and start it up.
Relay Attack
Imagine your car safely at your driveway, with your key fob inside your home. You're confident that your vehicle is secure, but unseen by you, sophisticated thieves are plotting an heist. Instead of breaking windows or jimmying locks, thieves are using technology to hack into vehicles using digital cracks in their armor. Also known as relay theft, it's a more common method of stealing vehicles with keyless entry.
Cars with keyless entry are designed to operate using signals that are sent by the car's remote control (RF) transmitter to the owner's key fob. To prevent keyless entry by intruders, the RF transmitters on the key fob as well as the car are programmed to turn on when they are within a certain distance of each other. A thief, however, is able to circumvent this restriction employing a technique called the relay-attack.
To do so two people work in tandem: one stands by the car, using an instrument that records a digitized version of the key fob's signal. The other who is at the owner's home is using a second device to transmit the signal from the key fob back to the car. This trick tricks the car into thinking the key fob is near enough to allow it to unlock and begin the engine.
This type of attack was once a costly process that required expensive equipment. However, now you can pick up relay transmitters on the cheap online and execute an heist in a matter of minutes. This is the reason car thieves love it.
While some cars are less susceptible to this kind of theft than others, all modern cars that have keyless entry are at risk. Researchers have examined 237 well-known cars and found that every one of them could be taken by this method.
Tesla vehicles are said to be less vulnerable to this kind of theft. However, the company hasn't yet implemented UWB technologies that would enable it to perform distance checks and stop relay attacks. The company has stated that they will implement this feature in the near future, but for now they are vulnerable. Installing an anti-theft device that protects both your keys and your car against such attacks is a proactive method to ensure the security of your vehicle.
CAN Injection Attack
Modern vehicles are designed to protect themselves from thieves by exchanging cryptographic data with the key to prove it's genuine. The system is thought to be safe, but criminals have found ways to circumvent it. They just impersonate the smart key and send messages to the car letting it unlock the doors, disable its engine immobilizer, and then drive away. To accomplish this, they have access to the smart keys' internal communication network.
The majority of cars today are fitted with between 20 and over 200 electronic control units, or ECUs, that manage various aspects of the vehicle's operation. They communicate using the CAN bus network. To keep power consumption low, these ECUs enter the sleep mode at low power. This mode is activated when they receive a 'wake up frame. These frames are typically sent by the ECU that is in charge of the smart key or door. However the messages aren't usually authenticated or encrypted and, therefore, here could be snatched by criminals using a cheap and simple device.
To do this, they look for a location where they can directly connect to the CAN bus connection wires. They are usually hidden inside the headlights or elsewhere in the front of the vehicle, and are accessible by pulling the bumper off and cutting holes in the headlamp assembly to expose the wires. The thieves then use a device called an CAN injection attacker to send fake messages that trick the car's security systems to unlock it and disable its engine immobilizer.
These devices can be purchased on the Dark Web and work with most major car manufacturers, including BMW and Cadillac, Chrysler, Fiat and Ford, Honda, Hyundai and Jeep, Lexus and Nissan, Renault and Toyota, Volkswagen and Maserati. The researchers who discovered this CAN Injection attack are recommending that all car manufacturers fix the issue in their current models, but the fact is that these thieves will continue to steal whatever they can get their hands on. We can prevent this by implementing mechanical safety measures, such as Discloks inside all our vehicles and parking them in well-lit, visible areas.
Blocking the Signal
In a different variant of the relay attack, thieves could use a gadget to jam the signal from the key fob when the vehicle is locked. The device could be found in the pocket or hiding place of a thief on the parking lot, or even near the driveway that is being targeted. Owners don't check whether the car is locked after pressing the lock button. The device used by the crook blocks the signal that locks the car. Therefore, thieves could escape with the car.
The crooks also make use of devices to enhance the signal of the key fob in order to unlock vehicles. The crooks can do this even if the key is in a driver's pocket or hanging from a hook inside the home. Once the car is unlocked, they can use an ordinary diagnostic port or computer hackers to program the blank key fob and gain control over the vehicle.
To guard against this kind of attack, car makers have developed a variety of anti-theft devices. However, thieves will always come up with ways to thwart these measures.
For instance, they've been using devices that transmit on the same frequency as remote key fobs to intercept their signals. The thieves copy the unlock code of the key fob and start the vehicle with this fake signal.
This method is particularly popular in the US where a lot of cars are equipped with wireless technology. Owners can start and unlock their car by using a mobile app on their phone. This technique is likely to increase in popularity as more companies attempt to connect their vehicles with their owners smartphones.
It is important that drivers follow the best practices to park their cars. They shouldn't leave their keys in the ignition. They should always ensure that their car is securely locked when they're not using it and should use the steering wheel or a gearstick lock, if they can. They should also think about having a tracking device fitted to their car in the event it's stolen.
Flat Battery
This kind of attack is more common than people think. The thieves employ cheap devices that extend the signal from your key fob to unlock and start your car in the event that it is off. They then simply drive the car around the corner or to a trailer and then drive off with it. It is possible to protect your vehicle from this by installing an interrupter for the starter circuit. Simpler versions have an ON/OFF button that shuts off the circuit. It's about $15 and is simple to install.
Car thieves are always searching for new ways to steal vehicles. Police, car manufacturers and insurance companies are constantly trying to keep up with the latest methods and offer better anti theft systems for modern vehicles. But this isn't stopping thieves who easily adapt and find ways to circumvent the latest anti-theft technology.
For example, many thieves use devices that operate on the same frequency as the fob to block the signal. They place the device in their pocket or near their vehicle, and it stops the fob's lock commands from reaching the vehicle which leaves the vehicle unlocked. This can be accomplished in a matter of minutes. The device is affordable and is available on the internet.
Hacking the computer system of the car is an alternative option. This is more difficult but nevertheless feasible. All cars have an diagnostic port and hackers have designed devices that plug into them and allow them access the software of the car. They can then program the fob with blank code to function. This is also possible on older vehicles, but it is more difficult without taking off the ignition lock.
This method could be more popular if more vehicles are connected to drivers' mobile phones. Once a thief has access to the username and password to an application for vehicles they can open or start the vehicle using the app. Fortunately, you can protect yourself from these types of attacks by not leaving valuables in your car and putting it in a garage or secured parking lot.