from the it's-not-like-I-left-the-keys-in-it dept.
Insurance crime investigators are raising alarms over a device that not only lets thieves break into cars that use keyless entry systems but also helps start and steal them.
Investigators from the National Insurance Crime Bureau, a not-for-profit organization, said in an interview they obtained what they called the "mystery device" from a third-party security expert at an overseas company.
So far, the threat here may be mostly theoretical. The crime bureau said it heard of the device being used in Europe and had reports that it had entered the U.S., but said there are no law enforcement reports of a car being stolen using it in the United States.
During a two-week time period, NICB investigators tested 35 different makes and models of cars using the car-hacking device and were able to start and drive away about half the vehicles.
Among the vulnerable cars were the 2015 Ford Edge, 2016 Chevrolet Impala, 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid and the 2017 Toyota Camry, NICB Chief Communication Officer Roger Morris said.
[...] Representatives from Volkswagen declined to comment. Representatives from Toyota, Ford and Chevrolet did not respond to inquiries.
(Score: 4, Informative) by looorg on Monday December 12 2016, @12:12AM
I saw a french documentary a few years ago. One of the segments was a about a car thief and he used some kind of device to get into and start the cars and then drive away all without the tey. One would think that if someone makes a documentary about it then it would be fairly common knowledge, at least among the people in the business. It seems somewhat unlikely that it would take six years for it to cross the pond. Not to mention that it would be a "mystery device". But then perhaps one shouldn't be to surprised with the amount of computers that are in cars these days.
https://www.indieflix.com/film/revealed-frances-criminal-underworld-36964 [indieflix.com]
(Score: 3, Touché) by JeanCroix on Monday December 12 2016, @12:17AM
Implying police are going to finally start investigating car thefts?
(Score: 1) by Ethanol-fueled on Monday December 12 2016, @01:25AM
Yeah, really. They tell you to fill a report and don't do a damn thing about it, but whoa boy if they catch you driving a stolen car. They will shoot you for nothing if your skin is darker than a paper grocery bag.
Here's a fun [cbs8.com] little diversion about stolen vehicles -- a couple of (who else?) Latinos jacked a bicycle that happened to belong to a federal agent (agency unnamed) and the agent jumped into the back of the thieves' pickup truck and was taken for a wild ride from the beach to downtown.
The suspects were caught and, as it turned out, the truck they were driving was stolen.
(Score: 2) by datapharmer on Monday December 12 2016, @01:32AM
Oh you mean the device that combines this:
arstechnica.com/security/2015/08/meet-rolljam-the-30-device-that-jimmies-car-and-garage-doors/
With this:
arstechnica.com/security/2015/08/researchers-reveal-electronic-car-lock-hack-after-2-year-injunction-by-volkswagen/
(Score: 2) by Snotnose on Monday December 12 2016, @02:31AM
Instead of sitting on known exploits figuring the Bad Guys (tm) would whatever.
FFS, the NSA has the most hacking resources ever. Cut us normal worker bees a break, hack the fucking Asshats instead of my Netgear router. Or my IoT whatevr. Fucking protect me, you useless individual packages of shit.
That said, I doubt very much you've hacked me cuz I know proper procedures. So have fun with my email re my sister, and the PMemal games I play
When the dust settled America realized it was saved by a porn star.
(Score: 1) by Ethanol-fueled on Monday December 12 2016, @02:46AM
In saying that you imply that those exploits weren't allowed, if not implanted deliberately, by them so that they could have surreptitious access to peoples' cars as well as their routers.
Cars, after all, are also involved with crime. Drug deals. Robberies. Willingly driving Priuses. Resisting the urges to mow-down annoying cyclists who somehow can legally ride alongside highways. Visiting unsanctioned friends.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 12 2016, @03:37AM
Shit really is going to, well, shit in this country. The worst thing is, it's a slow but inexorable decline, and I don't see anyone with a decent idea to change things. No wonder people voted for Trump.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by tathra on Monday December 12 2016, @02:42AM
this really sucks, i love the keyless system on my car, its super convenient to never have to fumble to get my keys out of my pocket to unlock or start my car. it even feels pretty awkward now to have to use a legacy key to take a car out for a spin. a fucking 96 bit key though, are you kidding me? i'm glad that my car doesnt seem to be on the list of those currently affected, but its probably only a matter of time. then again, the possibility of car theft is a problem for everyone, its just fucked up that the car makers would make it that easy.
(Score: 2) by donkeyhotay on Monday December 12 2016, @03:56PM
I had a car with keyless entry for awhile, then bought a vehicle without it. This is my observation: the so-called "convenience" of keyless entry and starting isn't worth it.
Don't get me wrong. It sounds nice to just walk up to your car, get in it, and go. Sometimes it even works just like that. But very often it is a headache. When I had keyless entry, and someone was riding with me, the keyless entry actually was a step backwards. I would touch the door handle to unlock it, then have to open the door, reach in for the unlock button, and unlock the door for my passenger -- like it was 1995 again. Invariably, there would be some sort of timing issue between me and the passenger, so that the passenger might have to try the door handle two or three times before it came open. Few things can make you look more stupid. My girlfriend has had her keyless entry car for six months now. She still can't figure it out. Every time I ride with her it is a struggle to get the passenger door open. With a keyed entry, I hit the button twice on my key, and all the doors are unlocked before everyone gets to the car. Simple.
And now, they're talking about universal devices that break into keyless cars? I'm glad I switched back to something that is simple and reliable.
(Score: 2) by tathra on Monday December 12 2016, @05:26PM
i cant speak for others, but for my car at least, unlocking at the door handle is just like using the semi-old wireless unlock when you still had a physical key - one push unlocks the driver door, a second push within a second or 2 unlocks every door. every wireless unlock w/ physical key i've come across does it like that across various makes and models made in different countries, so i find it hard to believe that the actual keyless vehicles dont also, because it seems the standard was set long before.
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Tuesday December 13 2016, @07:23PM
In some cars, a setting somewhere in the "infotainment" system allows you to choose which doors unlock with the remote.
Most keyless cars unlock all doors together, with no way to disable the rear doors, and secondary trigger setting
Some four door Mercedes have unlock trigger handles on all four doors (again, unlocking all four doors)
Apparently, we've gone backwards.
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex