Five Cars Being Stolen With Keyless Entry Projects For Any Budget
Five Cars Being Stolen With Keyless Entry Projects For Any Budget
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Cars Being Stolen With Keyless Entry
Car owners who leave their keys on a table or in front of their front door could be permitting thieves to steal the signal. This relay attack is a highly-tech method used by criminals to steal keyless vehicles.
All keyless ignition cars emit an extremely low-power radio signal, in search of a fob to respond. If the signal is recorded and recreated, it could be used to unlock the car and begin it up.
Relay Attack
Imagine your car safely parked in the driveway, with the key fob safely in your home. You're sure that your car is secure, but unseen by you sophisticated thieves are planning a heist. Instead of breaking windows or jimmying locks, these thieves are using technology to gain access to cars through digital cracks in their armor. This is known as relay theft, it's becoming a popular method of stealing cars with keyless entry.
Cars with keyless entry are designed to operate using a signal transmitted from the remote control (RF) transmitter to the owner's key fob. To ensure that keyless entry is not unauthorized the RF transmitters inside the key fob and car are programmed to only activate when they're within certain distance from each other. A thief, however, can circumvent this limitation using a technique known as the "relay-attack".
Two people are required to do this: one person is near the car and uses a device to capture digitally the the key fob. The other, standing by the home of the owner and using a second device to send the key fob signal back down to the car. This trickery tricks the car into believing the key fob is at the distance needed to unlock and start the vehicle.
In the past, this type of attack required expensive equipment to carry out. But now, you can buy relay transmitters for inexpensive online market and carry out a heist in minutes. This is the reason it's popular among car thieves.
While some cars are less vulnerable to this type of theft than others, all modern cars that have keyless entry are vulnerable. Researchers have examined 237 well-known cars and found that every one of them can be stolen by this method.
Tesla vehicles are said to be less susceptible to this kind of theft. However, the company hasn't yet implemented UWB technology that would enable it to perform distance checks and stop relay attacks. The company has stated that they will do so in the future, but for now they are vulnerable. This is why it's crucial to be proactive about your vehicle security and install an anti-theft kit which protects your keys as well as your vehicle from these kinds of attacks.
CAN Injection Attack
Modern cars are designed to protect themselves from thieves by transferring cryptographic messages using the key to prove it's genuine. The system is thought to be secure, however thieves have found ways to get around it. They pretend to be the smart key, then send messages to the vehicle, and then drive away. To do that, they get access to the smart key's internal communication network.
These days, most cars are equipped with between 20 to 200 electronic control units (or ECUs) that manage different aspects of the car's operation. They communicate with each other using a network known as CAN bus. These ECUs enter a low power sleep mode to lower their power consumption. This mode is activated when the ECUs receive a "wake up" frame. These frames typically come via the door or smart key receiver ECU. However they aren't always authenticated or encrypted and, therefore, can be intercepted by criminals using a cheap and basic device.
To accomplish this, they search for a location that allows them to connect directly to the CAN bus wires. These are often hidden away inside the headlights or elsewhere in front of the vehicle, and are accessible by removing the bumper and cutting holes in the headlamp assembly to expose the wires. The thieves use the device referred to as an CAN injection attack. It is used to send fake messages that can trick the security systems of the car to unlock and disable the engine immobilizer.
These devices are available for sale on the Dark Web, and work for most of the major car manufacturers, including BMW, Cadillac, Chrysler, Fiat, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar, Jeep, Lexus, Nissan, Renault, Toyota, Volkswagen, Maserati, and more. The researchers who discovered this CAN Injection attack are recommending that all car makers address it in their existing models, but the fact is that these thieves will continue to grab whatever they can get their hands on. We can stop this from happening by implementing mechanical safety measures, such as Discloks inside every car we own and parking them in well-lit, visible areas.
Blocking the Signal
In a variant different to the relay attack, thieves can use a gadget to jam the signal sent from an electronic key fob if the vehicle is locked. The device could be inside the pocket of a burglar in a parking space or in a hiding spot close to the driveway that is being targeted. When owners press the lock button on their fobs and walk away and leave, they don't have to think about whether or not their car is really is locked. The device used by the crook blocks the signal that locks the vehicle. Thus, thieves are able to drive away with the vehicle.
The crooks also make use of devices to amplify the signal from here the key fob to unlock vehicles. The crooks can do this even when the key is in a pocket of a driver, or hanging from an outside hook in the home. After the car is unlocked, hackers can use an ordinary diagnosis port to program the fob with a blank.
Car manufacturers have developed various anti-theft devices to protect against these types of attacks. However, thieves are always finding ways to beat these measures.
They've been using devices that transmit at the same frequency as remote keyfobs to intercept signals. The crooks then copy the key fob's unlock code and then start the car with this fake signal.
This method is very popular in the US and Europe where a lot of vehicles are sold with wireless technology that allows owners to unlock and start their cars by using a mobile application on their smartphone. This technology will likely become more popular as more car manufacturers attempt to connect their vehicles with their owners' smartphones.
In addition to incorporating anti-theft technology in vehicles, it's important for drivers to leverage best practices when they park their vehicles. They should never leave their keys in the ignition, should always make sure the car is securely locked when they're not there and should utilize a steering wheel or gearstick lock, if they can. It is also recommended to consider having a tracking device fitted to their car in case it is stolen.
Flat Battery
This kind of attack occurs more often than we think. Thieves employ inexpensive devices to extend the signal from your key fob to unlock and start a car even when it's shut off. They then drive the car around the corner or to a trailer and take off with it. It is possible to protect your car from this by installing an interrupter switch for the starter circuit. The most basic ones have an ON/OFF switch that shuts off the starter circuit. It's about $15 and is easy to install.
Car thieves are always working on new ways to gain access to vehicles and take them away. The police, car makers and insurance companies are constantly trying to keep up with their strategies and provide better anti-theft systems for modern vehicles. But that doesn't stop thieves who are able to adapt quickly and discover ways to bypass the most recent anti-theft measures.
Many thieves jam the signal by using devices that use the same radio frequency of the fob. They place the device in their pockets or somewhere close to their vehicle, and it prevents the fob's lock commands from reaching the car which leaves it unlocked. This can be done in minutes. The device is inexpensive and can be purchased on the internet.
Hacking the computer system of the car is another option. This is more difficult but possible. Hackers have developed devices that plug into the diagnostic port of all vehicles and permit them to connect to the software. They can then program the fob with blank code to function. It is possible to do this with older cars as well but it's more difficult without removing the ignition.
As more vehicles are linked to the phones of drivers, this method may become more popular too. Once a thief has the username and password to a vehicle app, they can unlock or start the vehicle by using the application. Fortunately, you can protect yourself from these types of attacks by not leaving valuables in your car, and then parking it in a garage or secure parking lot.