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posted by martyb on Friday April 17 2015, @07:04PM   Printer-friendly
from the [tin]-foil-your-fob dept.

A NY Times columnist had his car stolen by kids who were possibly using a repeater to rebroadcast his key fob:

Keyless entry systems typically only communicate with their remote fobs over the distance of a few feet, but he thinks that the gadget is capable of extending this range, fooling the car into thinking that the remote is within range even though it was actually in Bilton's House, about 50 feet away. He arrived at this theory after he consulted with Boris Danev, a Swiss-based security expert:

"It's a bit like a loudspeaker, so when you say hello over it, people who are 100 meters away can hear the word, 'hello,'" Mr. Danev said. "You can buy these devices anywhere for under $100." He said some of the lower-range devices cost as little as $17 and can be bought online on sites like eBay, Amazon and Craigslist.

Sounds creative and easy. Maybe those clubs aren't so silly after all.

 
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  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by DeathMonkey on Friday April 17 2015, @09:11PM

    by DeathMonkey (1380) on Friday April 17 2015, @09:11PM (#172195) Journal

    The club is no deterrant.
     
    Anything that makes some other guy's car easier to steal than your own is a deterrant.

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 18 2015, @02:40AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 18 2015, @02:40AM (#172268)

    Old beaters are easier to steal, yet their mere aesthetic appearance is a deterrent.

    • (Score: 1) by anubi on Saturday April 18 2015, @03:45AM

      by anubi (2828) on Saturday April 18 2015, @03:45AM (#172283) Journal

      Not only that, they are apt to fall apart the instant you gun what's remaining of the engine!

      I drive one of those old clunkers. There are many parts on their last legs. I would imagine all it would take is one good acceleration to take out what is left of the clutch.

      Yup, all held together with bailing wire... but at least it gets me around. Cheaply. Its an old nag, well past its racing days, but I still feed her oats, and she still takes me to market.

      --
      "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]