The New Way to Steal a Car

A signal booster is the new shim.

The method exploits keyless entry, a once-luxury feature now found in entry-level cars.

I speak with Ted Harrington, co-founder of Independent Security Evaluators, a company that pioneered car hacking.

Very basically:

The Attack

Amplify the proximity radius, and now the key and car are talking when they shouldn’t be. Thief goes in, off he drives.

The Defence

Keep your key fob in a Faraday Cage (no signals can get in or go out)… do this by wrapping the fob in aluminum foil.

Read it online at Autonet.

Favourite line:

Pretty geeky, and probably beyond the average criminal, right? The trouble is that the online black market is massive and lucrative.

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Back to ‘Keri on Driving’ – Index

Blog tag = auto security

 

 

Proper Press Car Keys

Seems straight-forward, but it’s not.

All automakers handle it differently, I like this setup best.

Why?

1 – a protected tag with pertinent information front and back (the grey box is the VIN #)

2 – reverse side lists a phone number to call if I need something

3 – key is easily detached for when photographing the interior

4 – a USB key containing the spec sheet plus PDFs. That’s key, because whenever you need an answer it’s 10pm and no one is going to email you back then.

Specifically, these belong to the 2015 VW Golf I have this week.

 

 

I was So So So So So So So SOOOO Lucky

That’s my keyless entry fob, so luckily jammed into the trunk lid.

I found it after driving ohhh 10 km at 80 km/h. I’d broken my routine and placed it atop the roof, instead of in the cup holder, and the one time I break habit…

Imagine if it’d flown off? I’d have not known until the car ground to a halt. Then a sad walk backwards looking for the thing, then comes the worst part: calling Honda, “hi I’m a bonehead and your car is stuck here now…”

*wipes forehead*

 

 

Audi’s Emergency Key

If you lose your car key, Audi has a backup system.

Keep this tiny key on you always, store in your wallet.

It will open the driver’s door.

Climb inside, open the glovebox.

1 – grab that
2 – insert the tiny key into it
3 – now you have a fob that fits into the ignition. Peel away.

 

 

 

A Lotus Key

Neat eh, different.

I’m not sure if all Lotus keys are like this, I saw it walking by a valet stand.

This is a Lotus.

(photo from their FB page)

They’re tiny tiny, a enormous engine in a small light frame, ridiculously fast. I’ve heard they’re almost go-karty, I’ve not driven one.