Hacked
I’ve been hacked. Not in the traditional sense but in a way I didn’t expect, let me tell the story so that you can avoid it.
Like many people I have a key-less go car. It relies on the signal from the key-fob to open the car and/or start it and I’d never really considered the risks before, despite seeing something on Top Gear a few years back.
This morning, as usual, I opened the car on the drive, put my bag in the back and saw some cables that normally live in the centre console on the back seat. ‘Strange’, I thought. I opened the centre console and find that the coins I kept in there for parking are gone, typically ￡30 'ish, in ￡2, ￡1 and 50p coins. I checked the glove and boot and found nothing else missing. Puzzled, I checked the usual suspects, but my wife and son hadn’t taken the cash. Scratching my head, I turned to the Internet and start to learn about ‘Relay Theft’ – what an eye-opener.
How does a relay attack work?
It usually requires three things:
- The wireless car key to be within transmitting distance of the car, sometimes up to 100m.
- A thief standing near the key, typically outside your front door, with a transmitter that tricks the key into broadcasting its signal.
- A second thief standing near the car with a receiver that tricks the car into thinking it is the key.
My keys are usually in the hallway 20m away from the car, as I suspect many peoples are given Police advise on car keys.
According to Which? Magazine ‘data from the German General Automobile Club (ADAC) found security flaws in 99% of the models tested. It tested 237 keyless cars and found only seven were not susceptible to being both unlocked and started.
My car may not be at risk of theft because it requires the fob to be in constant contact, so if it was stolen it would stop after about 100m, which is better than some other makes but it doesn’t prevent access and subsequent theft of stuff inside.
Seemingly, the only way I can protect against this is to buy a Faraday Box – there’s one in my Amazon basket right now.
On the plus side they didn't take my sunglasses, the iPod (Yes, I know, I'm out of date) or cause any damage. I think I got off light and learnt a lesson today.
Very good article, one observation. You don't actually have to buy a Faraday box or case. The poor man's option is to place your keys (or just the key fob) in your microwave oven before you go to bed. A microwave oven heats food by bombarding it with microwaves (basically short wave radio waves). To stop everything surrounding your Microwave being hit with the microwave bursts when in operation the oven has heavy shielding built into its body. The shielding blocks all types of radio signals including the one transmitted by your key fob when communicating with your car. Also, there is little to no chance of you forgetting your key are in the Microwave and switching it on, because you always place the food into a microwave oven before you switch it on. So unless you are completely blind (in which case you wouldn't have a car) or your keys get missed because you have a Microwave the size of a washing machine, your keys will be safe.