Electronic signal Keyless car theft still a thing.

[crazybars]

You know that thing where your car unlocks when you get close with your key? Well turns out for at least 10 years minimum since 2009 since they released those darn things, you could just amplify the signal sent from the key and then open the car doors and steal it.

Interesting.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hj3ZRv9cMBw


https://old.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/3356fs/thieves_using_a_17_power_amplifier_to_break_into/

I have a Toyota that automatically unlocks the doors when the key is "close" to it. It always bugged me a bit, and now I know why.

Q: How do you determine in a secure manner how close the key is to the car?

A: You don't! You do something incredibly insecure like scan for the key using a low power signal and if it answers you unlock the car.

All a thief needs to do is sit in the middle and amplify the signal in both directions and you trick the car into thinking the key is right next to it. The car unlocks the door automatically to save someone the trouble of actually pushing a button, but the someone is the thief and now you've been robbed.

If this is indeed how they do it, this explains all the weird reports of highly advanced systems being so easily defeated and we should all be really ashamed of letting such an obvious anti-feature creep into car security. Now I need to figure out how to turn this "feature" off.

 

[Teddy]

Mr Bean's anti-cartheft solution

 

[Holo]

Yep, this is why you have to put your wireless key in a RFID-blocking pouch or similar.

 

[Yatsuki]

This reminds me of the wireless pay cards :/ Same scam/thief principle if I remember correctly

 

[DANDAN_THE_DANDAN]

Who thought this was a good idea?

 

[firelight]

Good.