O.K. Now it's Personal - my car is More Vunerable to Theft?!?
#1
Lead Lap
Thread Starter
O.K. Now it's Personal - my car is More Vunerable to Theft?!?
Radio Attack Lets Hackers Steal 24 Different Car Models
By Andy Greenberg
Mar 21 2016
http://postlink.www.listbox.com/2087...l0aW9uLWhhY2sv
For years, car owners with keyless entry systems have reported thieves approaching their vehicles with mysterious devices and effortlessly opening them in seconds. After having his Prius burgled repeatedly outside his Los Angeles home, the New York Times‘ former tech columnist Nick Bilton came to the conclusion that the thieves must be amplifying the signal from the key fob in the house to trick his car’s keyless entry system into thinking the key was in the thieves’ hand. He eventually resorted to keeping his keys in the freezer.
Now a group of German vehicle security researchers has released new findings about the extent of that wireless key hack, and their work ought to convince hundreds of thousands of drivers to keep their car keys next to their Pudding Pops. The Munich-based automobile club ADAC late last week made public a study it had performed on dozens of cars to test a radio “amplification attack” that silently extends the range of unwitting drivers’ wireless key fobs to open cars and even start their ignitions, as first reported by the German business magazine WirtschaftsWoche. The ADAC researchers say that 24 different vehicles from 19 different manufacturers were all vulnerable, allowing them to not only reliably unlock the target vehicles but also immediately drive them away.
“This clear vulnerability in [wireless] keys facilitates the work of thieves immensely,” reads a post in German about the researchers’ findings on the ADAC website. “The radio connection between keys and car can easily be extended over several hundred meters, regardless of whether the original key is, for example, at home or in the pocket of the owner.”
That car key hack is far from new: Swiss researchers published a paper detailing a similar amplification attack as early as 2011. But the ADAC researchers say they can perform the attack far more cheaply than those predecessors, spending just $225 on their attack device compared with the multi-thousand-dollar software-defined radios used in the Swiss researchers’ study. They’ve also tested a larger array of vehicles and, unlike the earlier study, released the specific makes and models of which vehicles were susceptible to the attack; they believe that hundreds of thousands of vehicles in driveways and parking lots today remain open to the wireless theft method.
The Vulnerable Makes and Models
Here’s the full list of vulnerable vehicles from their findings, which focused on European models: the Audi A3, A4 and A6, BMW’s 730d, Citroen’s DS4 CrossBack, Ford’s Galaxy and Eco-Sport, Honda’s HR-V, Hyundai’s Santa Fe CRDi, KIA’s Optima, Lexus’s RX 450h, Mazda’s CX-5, MINI’s Clubman, Mitsubishi’s Outlander, Nissan’s Qashqai and Leaf, Opel’s Ampera, Range Rover’s Evoque, Renault’s Traffic, Ssangyong’s Tivoli XDi, Subaru’s Levorg, Toyota’s RAV4, and Volkswagen’s Golf GTD and Touran 5T. Only the BMW i3 resisted the researchers’ attack, though they were still able to start its ignition. And the researchers posit—but admit they didn’t prove—that the same technique likely would work on other vehicles, including those more common in the United States, with some simple changes to the frequency of the equipment’s radio communications.
The ADAC released a video that shows surveillance camera footage of a real-world theft that seemed to use the technique, as well as a demonstration by the group’s own researchers.
By Andy Greenberg
Mar 21 2016
http://postlink.www.listbox.com/2087...l0aW9uLWhhY2sv
For years, car owners with keyless entry systems have reported thieves approaching their vehicles with mysterious devices and effortlessly opening them in seconds. After having his Prius burgled repeatedly outside his Los Angeles home, the New York Times‘ former tech columnist Nick Bilton came to the conclusion that the thieves must be amplifying the signal from the key fob in the house to trick his car’s keyless entry system into thinking the key was in the thieves’ hand. He eventually resorted to keeping his keys in the freezer.
Now a group of German vehicle security researchers has released new findings about the extent of that wireless key hack, and their work ought to convince hundreds of thousands of drivers to keep their car keys next to their Pudding Pops. The Munich-based automobile club ADAC late last week made public a study it had performed on dozens of cars to test a radio “amplification attack” that silently extends the range of unwitting drivers’ wireless key fobs to open cars and even start their ignitions, as first reported by the German business magazine WirtschaftsWoche. The ADAC researchers say that 24 different vehicles from 19 different manufacturers were all vulnerable, allowing them to not only reliably unlock the target vehicles but also immediately drive them away.
“This clear vulnerability in [wireless] keys facilitates the work of thieves immensely,” reads a post in German about the researchers’ findings on the ADAC website. “The radio connection between keys and car can easily be extended over several hundred meters, regardless of whether the original key is, for example, at home or in the pocket of the owner.”
That car key hack is far from new: Swiss researchers published a paper detailing a similar amplification attack as early as 2011. But the ADAC researchers say they can perform the attack far more cheaply than those predecessors, spending just $225 on their attack device compared with the multi-thousand-dollar software-defined radios used in the Swiss researchers’ study. They’ve also tested a larger array of vehicles and, unlike the earlier study, released the specific makes and models of which vehicles were susceptible to the attack; they believe that hundreds of thousands of vehicles in driveways and parking lots today remain open to the wireless theft method.
The Vulnerable Makes and Models
Here’s the full list of vulnerable vehicles from their findings, which focused on European models: the Audi A3, A4 and A6, BMW’s 730d, Citroen’s DS4 CrossBack, Ford’s Galaxy and Eco-Sport, Honda’s HR-V, Hyundai’s Santa Fe CRDi, KIA’s Optima, Lexus’s RX 450h, Mazda’s CX-5, MINI’s Clubman, Mitsubishi’s Outlander, Nissan’s Qashqai and Leaf, Opel’s Ampera, Range Rover’s Evoque, Renault’s Traffic, Ssangyong’s Tivoli XDi, Subaru’s Levorg, Toyota’s RAV4, and Volkswagen’s Golf GTD and Touran 5T. Only the BMW i3 resisted the researchers’ attack, though they were still able to start its ignition. And the researchers posit—but admit they didn’t prove—that the same technique likely would work on other vehicles, including those more common in the United States, with some simple changes to the frequency of the equipment’s radio communications.
The ADAC released a video that shows surveillance camera footage of a real-world theft that seemed to use the technique, as well as a demonstration by the group’s own researchers.
I thought I was posting this in the Hybrid forum (and couldn't delete and move it); but it still means that...
...while recently traveling with a carload of very important-to-us "stuff" I was constantly aware of a Smash-and-Grab that my niece suffered as she stopped to shop at a mall on her way to college - losing the contents of her minivan.
Now I'm trying to resist a learned tendency to paranoid concern that my 450h (specifically named in the article) is less theft resistant than a simple keyed entry and ignition - for which my concern over theft of the whole vehicle and its contents represents an even bigger threat than by a smash-n-grab.
Last edited by kitlz; 03-24-16 at 08:40 AM.
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rrichard7 (08-27-21)
#2
Lexus Champion
Last I heard the black-market re-transmitter cost $30K and was used by top professionals to steal specific vehicles to fulfill overseas orders. One has to be in a really close proximity too. Obviously, nobody will spend $30K to perform petty theft.
I do not see an specific device being mentioned in your articles, only rumors. So, I say, you can put your paranoia back to rest.
I do not see an specific device being mentioned in your articles, only rumors. So, I say, you can put your paranoia back to rest.
#3
Lexus Champion
very simple..
use the door lock button on the INSIDE of your car to lock your doors, not the fob, and not the touch sensor, then no signal is transmitted when you are exiting and locking the vehicle.
if you still paranoid, pay for the enform subscription that alerts you if the vehicle is opened and has the GPS tracking so you can locate the vehicle.
beyond that, do not keep valuables in the vehicle and make sure your insurance is paid up.
if someone wants it bad enough they will take it, do what you can reduce the possibility and make them move on to someone else.
use the door lock button on the INSIDE of your car to lock your doors, not the fob, and not the touch sensor, then no signal is transmitted when you are exiting and locking the vehicle.
if you still paranoid, pay for the enform subscription that alerts you if the vehicle is opened and has the GPS tracking so you can locate the vehicle.
beyond that, do not keep valuables in the vehicle and make sure your insurance is paid up.
if someone wants it bad enough they will take it, do what you can reduce the possibility and make them move on to someone else.
#4
Lexus Champion
very simple..
use the door lock button on the INSIDE of your car to lock your doors, not the fob, and not the touch sensor, then no signal is transmitted when you are exiting and locking the vehicle.
if you still paranoid, pay for the enform subscription that alerts you if the vehicle is opened and has the GPS tracking so you can locate the vehicle.
beyond that, do not keep valuables in the vehicle and make sure your insurance is paid up.
if someone wants it bad enough they will take it, do what you can reduce the possibility and make them move on to someone else.
use the door lock button on the INSIDE of your car to lock your doors, not the fob, and not the touch sensor, then no signal is transmitted when you are exiting and locking the vehicle.
if you still paranoid, pay for the enform subscription that alerts you if the vehicle is opened and has the GPS tracking so you can locate the vehicle.
beyond that, do not keep valuables in the vehicle and make sure your insurance is paid up.
if someone wants it bad enough they will take it, do what you can reduce the possibility and make them move on to someone else.
#5
Advanced
LOL.
If a thief really wants your car they will get it.
All your tricks will not prevent someone from walking up to you while pointing a gun to your head demanding your car keys.
If you are that afraid of crime you should have just bought a more low key make like Nissan or Chevy instead of Lexus.
However, i understand your fear hence why i traded my 2011 Mercedes E350 for a 2014 KIA Optima SXL.
Living and working in Atlanta can be dangerous especially like i do at night sometimes when you are driving a car that draw a lot of attention like a late model Mercedes.
The KIA not so much, I actually feel invisible at a gas station at night compared to when I pulled up in the Mercedes E350 when I noticed quite a few eyes looking in my direction while I am pumping gas.
So just buy a optioned out KIA/Hyundai and trust me your odds of attracting car thieves will be small to nil.
To be honest i do miss the stares just a little when I had the Mercedes, but I actually do feel safer driving my KIA since I know it not on anybody hit list for parts or anything.
Plus I save a crap load of money that I used for home improvement projects with the same or more options as my old Mercedes like nav,cooled/heated seats,blind spot detection,Nappa leather,etc..
If a thief really wants your car they will get it.
All your tricks will not prevent someone from walking up to you while pointing a gun to your head demanding your car keys.
If you are that afraid of crime you should have just bought a more low key make like Nissan or Chevy instead of Lexus.
However, i understand your fear hence why i traded my 2011 Mercedes E350 for a 2014 KIA Optima SXL.
Living and working in Atlanta can be dangerous especially like i do at night sometimes when you are driving a car that draw a lot of attention like a late model Mercedes.
The KIA not so much, I actually feel invisible at a gas station at night compared to when I pulled up in the Mercedes E350 when I noticed quite a few eyes looking in my direction while I am pumping gas.
So just buy a optioned out KIA/Hyundai and trust me your odds of attracting car thieves will be small to nil.
To be honest i do miss the stares just a little when I had the Mercedes, but I actually do feel safer driving my KIA since I know it not on anybody hit list for parts or anything.
Plus I save a crap load of money that I used for home improvement projects with the same or more options as my old Mercedes like nav,cooled/heated seats,blind spot detection,Nappa leather,etc..
Last edited by carguy75; 03-23-16 at 07:48 PM.
#6
Lexus Test Driver
As someone else said if they want it bad enough they'll get it. Believe it or not I still use the Club on the steering wheel as a deterrent if I feel uneasy where I'm leaving one of my vehicles.
Sure, I know that most thief's can break these types of locks, and some people think I'm crazy for still using it. But all I am trying to do is slow them down or maybe have them move on to the next vehicle. I guess I'm old school when it comes to certain things.
Sure, I know that most thief's can break these types of locks, and some people think I'm crazy for still using it. But all I am trying to do is slow them down or maybe have them move on to the next vehicle. I guess I'm old school when it comes to certain things.
#7
No, I don't play soccer!
Nate, I added the article you posted in the other thread. And I'm sure the RX350 is also equally vulnerable. But as others said, if a thief wants your vehicle, they will do whatever it takes to get it. Unfortunately that's what we get for driving nice cars. If anything with gas prices so low, maybe hybrids will be low on the list
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#8
Right now it's a hot debate here how to stop the stealing of keyless go cars. Unless you can't turn off keyless put your key in alufoil or a metalbox....but that can not be a solution for a longer term.
ADAC list the RX450h as potintial risk.
#9
Lexus Champion
You are completly wrong! The key fob transmit nonstop. They pick up the signal (Even thru walls) and send it to the reciver device near the car. Bingo. ADAC present how easy it is in tv.
Right now it's a hot debate here how to stop the stealing of keyless go cars. Unless you can't turn off keyless put your key in alufoil or a metalbox....but that can not be a solution for a longer term.
ADAC list the RX450h as potintial risk.
Right now it's a hot debate here how to stop the stealing of keyless go cars. Unless you can't turn off keyless put your key in alufoil or a metalbox....but that can not be a solution for a longer term.
ADAC list the RX450h as potintial risk.
My claim is that you can't just capture the signal and then resend it at a different time.
You car has to "talk" live to the fob (establish dialog). There has to be very little delay for this to work. The re-transmitter device does just that.
Last I checked, it was a $30K black-market device. Not something your run-of-the mill thieves will have and certainly not a simple unit to make. I cannot comment on the proximity it has to be to the fob. I wouldn't expect it to have a long range.
Living in the US, this is of little concern. If you bought your new Lexus overseas, it'd be gone in less than a day, unless custom security enhancements were put in. Security through obscurity.
There are many ways a thief can get into your vehicle. If that is a concern, then there are plenty of aftermarket companies that can help mitigate this.
Smart Key feature can be easily turned off, should one decide its convenience outweighs potential risk.
Question is, when do you stop? If it takes a thief 5 seconds to stick scissors into the door lock and then twist it off, disabling the factory alarm in the process, and then another 20 seconds to pop the hood and plug a new ECU in with pre-coded engine immobilizer codes, would you feel any safer?
#10
Moderator
You may want to do what the South Africans do and install one of these
The following users liked this post:
rrichard7 (08-27-21)
#11
Lexus Champion
Originally Posted by Slplknight
You are completly wrong! The key fob transmit nonstop. They pick up the signal (Even thru walls) and send it to the reciver device near the car. Bingo. ADAC present how easy it is in tv.
Right now it's a hot debate here how to stop the stealing of keyless go cars. Unless you can't turn off keyless put your key in alufoil or a metalbox....but that can not be a solution for a longer term.
ADAC list the RX450h as potintial risk.
Right now it's a hot debate here how to stop the stealing of keyless go cars. Unless you can't turn off keyless put your key in alufoil or a metalbox....but that can not be a solution for a longer term.
ADAC list the RX450h as potintial risk.
#14
Lead Lap
Thread Starter
It didn't work for me (evidenced by walking up to the locked car and having the courtesy light illuminate).
I presume that there is a radio communication causing the light to turn on.
I was really hoping...
I presume that there is a radio communication causing the light to turn on.
I was really hoping...