Cars Being Stolen With Keyless Entry
If car owners leave their keys on the table or next to their doors, they could unknowingly be allowing thieves to hijack their signal. This relay attack is a sophisticated technique used by criminals to steal keys from new vehicles.
Keyless ignition cars emit an low-power radio signal that is in search of a fob that can respond. If the signal is recorded and recreated, it can be used to unlock the car and then start it up.
Relay Attack
Imagine your car safely parked in the driveway, with the key fob safely in your home. You may think your car is safe but sophisticated thieves are planning to steal your car without you knowing. Instead of breaking windows or jimmying locks, these thieves are leveraging technology to hack into cars via digital cracks in their armor. Also known as relay theft, it's an increasingly common method of stealing vehicles with keyless entry.
Cars with keyless entry are designed to function using a signal that is transmitted by the car's remote control (RF) transmitter to the owner's key fob. To stop unauthorized keyless entry, the RF transmitters in the key fob and car are programmed to only be activated when they're within certain distance of each other. However, thieves are able to bypass this limitation with a technique known as the'relay attack'.
To accomplish this two people work in tandem One stands near the car, using an instrument that records digitally the key fob's signal. The other person who is at the owner's home, uses a second gadget to transmit the signal from the key fob to the car. This trickery fools the car into believing that the key fob is at a distance sufficient to unlock and start the vehicle.
This type of heist used to require expensive equipment. Now, you can buy relay transmitters on the cheap online and execute an heist in a matter of minutes. This is the reason car thieves love it.
While certain vehicles are less susceptible to this kind of theft than others, all modern vehicles with keyless entry are vulnerable. Researchers have examined 237 well-known automobiles and found that all of them can be stolen through this method.
Tesla vehicles are believed to be less vulnerable to this kind of theft. However, the company hasn't yet implemented UWB technology that would allow it to perform distance checks and stop relay attacks. The company has said it will do so in the future, but for now, they remain vulnerable. This is why it's crucial to take a proactive approach to your vehicle security and install an anti-theft kit that safeguards your keys and the car from such attacks.
CAN Injection Attack
Modern vehicles are designed to protect themselves from thieves by exchanging cryptographic data with the key to prove it's authentic. The system is believed to be safe, but thieves have found ways around it. They can impersonate the smart key and send messages to the vehicle letting it unlock the doors, disable its engine immobilizer, then let them drive away. To do this they gain access to the smart key's internal communications network.
Today, most automobiles are equipped with between 20 and 200 electronic control units (or ECUs) that manage different aspects of the car's operation. They communicate using a network called CAN bus. To ensure that power consumption is 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 via the door or smart key receiver ECU. However, these messages aren't always authenticated or encrypted so they can be intercepted by criminals who have a low-cost and simple device.
They search for a spot that allows them to connect directly to the CAN connection wires. They usually are hidden in the headlights or in other places in the front of the vehicle. To gain access to them, you can pull the bumper and cut holes in the headlamp assemblies. The thieves then employ a device dubbed an CAN injection attacker, which is used to send fake messages which fool the security systems of the car into unlocking it and disengaging its engine immobilizer.
These devices can be bought on the Dark Web and work with most major car manufacturers which include 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 it in their existing models, but the reality is that these thieves will continue to grab whatever they can get their hands on. The best we can do is to attempt to stop this from happening by installing mechanical security measures like Discloks on all cars, and making sure that they are always parked in well-lit areas that are clearly visible to people passing by.
Blocking the Signal
In a variation of the relay attack that employs a device that is able to block the signal from the key fob when the vehicle is locked. The device could be found in the pocket or in the hiding where a burglar is hiding on the parking lot, or in the driveway that is being targeted. Owners don't check whether their vehicle is locked when they press the lock button. Instead, thieves can escape with the vehicle since the signal that normally locks the car is blocked by the crook's device.
They also make use of devices that amplify signals from the key fob to unlock vehicles. The crooks can do this even when the key is in a pocket of a driver, or hanging on an outside hook in the home. Once the car has been unlocked, hackers can use the standard diagnostic port to create the fob with a blank.
Automobile manufacturers have come up with various anti-theft devices to protect against these types of attacks. However, thieves will always find ways to defeat these measures.
They've been using devices that transmit at the same frequency as remote keyfobs to intercept 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 have wireless technology. Owners can start and unlock their car by using a mobile app from their mobile. This technology is expected to become more popular get more info as more and more companies attempt to link their vehicles to their owners' smartphones.
It is important that drivers use best practices to park their cars. They shouldn't leave their keys in the ignition, and should always ensure that their vehicle is locked completely when they're not there and should utilize a steering wheel or gearstick lock, if it is possible. It is also recommended to consider having a tracking device fitted to their vehicle in the event that it gets stolen.
Flat Battery
This kind of attack is more frequent than many people believe. The thieves use low-cost devices that increase the signal of your key fob in order to unlock and start your car, even when it's off. Then they drive the car to a trailer or around a corner, and take the car away. It would be possible to shield your vehicle from this by installing an interrupter switch for the starter circuit. The simplest ones just have an ON/OFF switch that shuts off the starter circuit. It's about $15 and is simple to install.
Car thieves are always trying new ways to enter vehicles and take them away. Police, car manufacturers and insurance companies are always trying to stay on top of the latest techniques and offer better anti-theft systems for modern vehicles. But this does not stop thieves who are able to be quick to adapt and find ways to bypass the latest anti theft measures.
For example, many thieves use devices that operate on the same frequency as the fob in order to block the signal. They place the device in their pockets or close to their vehicle, and it stops the fob's lock signal from reaching the vehicle and thereby leaving it unlocked. This can be done in seconds. The device is cheap and is available on the internet.
Another tactic is to hack into the car's computer system. This is more difficult, but possible. Hackers have developed devices that connect to the diagnostic port of all vehicles and allow them to connect to the software. They can then program an unfinished fob to work. This can also be done on older vehicles, however it is more difficult to do so without removal of the ignition lock.
As more vehicles are connected to the phones of drivers, this method may become more popular too. Once a thief has the username and password to a vehicle application, they can unlock or start the vehicle using the app. You can safeguard yourself by not putting valuables in your car and parking in garages.