Thieves Cracking Security Codes to Get Into Cars

By Hum
in The Neobahn

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Grand Master

Hum

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Posted

Just after 1:00 a.m. one August night, a man calmly walked up to a locked car parked on a downtown Chicago street and within seconds -- without a key, without any force -- was sitting in the passenger's seat. If you witnessed it, you wouldn't think anything of it. It was just a man getting into his car.

Except it wasn't his car. It was someone else's, but the man had easily broken in and could now steal whatever he wanted. Thieves, it seems, have figured out a way to unlock cars equipped with security systems, all without so much as breaking a window or even jimmying a lock. While they are not actually stealing automobiles yet, they are able to steal belongings found inside locked cars.

That car in Chicago belongs to Michael Shin, who thought he was losing his mind when his sedan was robbed. Shin, after all, had locked the car, but now his belongings had been stolen with no sign of forced entry.

"I kept thinking, 'How did they gain access to my car if nothing was broken?'" he told ABC's Chicago station WLS-TV.

Fortunately for Shin, the answer was right there on his home security video, so he got to see how the robber had done it.

"He walks past my car, the dome light comes on and he kind of stops in his tracks and walks right into the car," Shin told WLS. "It's mind-boggling how smart they are to build some sort of a device or an app or something that allows them to steal easily."

It wasn't only Shin's car that was robbed -- his neighbors' were, too. Wireless signal experts think some car thieves have cracked security codes, so they are able to send the same unlock signal that an owner's key transmitter uses.

"It's quite possible that they already decrypted the code, they actually have the key of the car, so they can open it any time they want," Xang Xiu, a professor at the Illinois Institute of Technology, told WLS.

"We believe that this code-grabbing technology was utilized and we are looking into it and investigating," the Chicago Police Department's Andrew Schoeff told WLS.

The technology that keyless entry systems use has become much more complicated since 2010 and now changes the codes on a regular basis, but for systems that were built before then, it's a different story. And that has left locksmiths like Bill Plasky feeling dumbfounded at how thieves are now exploiting outdated systems to open cars like Shin's.

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Twiddle

Posted
Posted

1. Have insurance.

2. Never ever leave anything of value in a vehicle.

3. Leave it unlocked. If a thief wants in, they will get in. Better than a broken window, and nothing lost when you keep nothing of value in the car. If they steal the car itself, insurance will cover it.

I've done these three things for around 10 years (the unlocked part I started a few years ago). I've had my CD player stolen twice in this time, and the two times it got stolen, I had to replace my windows, because I accidentally locked the car and they busted them out. Now I always make sure to bring my faceplate inside with me.

It sucks having to do this crap, but it is the world we live in. =/

Grand Master

123456789A

Posted
Posted

1. Have insurance.

2. Never ever leave anything of value in a vehicle.

3. Leave it unlocked. If a thief wants in, they will get in. Better than a broken window, and nothing lost when you keep nothing of value in the car. If they steal the car itself, insurance will cover it.

I've done these three things for around 10 years (the unlocked part I started a few years ago). I've had my CD player stolen twice in this time, and the two times it got stolen, I had to replace my windows, because I accidentally locked the car and they busted them out. Now I always make sure to bring my faceplate inside with me.

It sucks having to do this crap, but it is the world we live in. =/

Just leave your windows rolled down while you're at it.

Veteran

Twiddle

Posted
Posted

Just leave your windows rolled down while you're at it.

I don't understand the sarcasm. It is better than a broken window just to leave it unlocked. If people wouldn't leave valuables in their vehicles in the first place, they would have a lot less to bitch about when it does get stolen.

Grand Master

123456789A

Posted
Posted

I don't understand the sarcasm. It is better than a broken window just to leave it unlocked. If people wouldn't leave valuables in their vehicles in the first place, they would have a lot less to bitch about when it does get stolen.

No, you have a good point. I follow the same thing except for leaving the doors unlocked. I have nothing in my car worth taking, unless someone really wants a tape player.

Grand Master

Arachno 1D

Posted
Posted

By John Leyden

Posted 17th September 2012 11:52 GMT

BMWs and other high-end cars are being stolen by unskilled criminals using a $30 tool developed by hackers to pwn the onboard security systems. The new tool is capable of reprogramming a blank key, and allows non-techie car thieves to steal a vehicle within two or three minutes or less.

On-board diagnostics (OBD) bypass tools are being shipped from China and Eastern Europe in kit form with instructions and blank keys, says a news report linking the release of the tool to a spike in car thefts in Australia, Europe and elsewhere during 2012. Would-be car thieves need to grab the transmission between a valid key fob and a car before reprogramming a blank key, which can then be used to either open the car or start it, via the OBD system.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/09/17/bmw_car_theft_hack/

Veteran

mycoolkim

Posted
Posted

Having a modified car, insurance companies wont pay up the excess in mods (my problem). Theifs are a bloody nusaince -_- Just get a heavy duty car alarm system and a kill switch installed. Anyone who leaves valuable equipment inside a car for long periods of time as an idiot.

Grand Master

Kami-

Posted
Posted

1. Have insurance.

2. Never ever leave anything of value in a vehicle.

3. Leave it unlocked. If a thief wants in, they will get in. Better than a broken window, and nothing lost when you keep nothing of value in the car. If they steal the car itself, insurance will cover it.

I've done these three things for around 10 years (the unlocked part I started a few years ago). I've had my CD player stolen twice in this time, and the two times it got stolen, I had to replace my windows, because I accidentally locked the car and they busted them out. Now I always make sure to bring my faceplate inside with me.

It sucks having to do this crap, but it is the world we live in. =/

#3 - If you leave a vehicle unlocked; your insurance sure as hell won't cover it.

  • SoCalRox, Japlabot and oliver182
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+Neowin User 007 Subscriber²

Posted
  • Subscriber²
Posted

Thieves can get into a car without an issue, yet my stupid Homelink mirror still can't pick up the most common gate opener at every condo complex ever due to the supposedly "unshared codes" that said gate uses.

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Twiddle

Posted
Posted

Uhh no, they won't.

Yes they will. It is called comprehensive coverage. Yes, they will ask you if it was locked, if the keys were in it, etc... But they don't know anything other than the answers you give them.

Perfect example, my old boss many years ago was starting to dislike his truck. When he took a trip to Atlanta, he left the vehicle running, on purpose, with the driver door open. Of course it got stolen, and thanks to his coverage, and the claim he made, it was covered.

Grand Master

Rohdekill

Posted
Posted

I don't understand the sarcasm. It is better than a broken window just to leave it unlocked. If people wouldn't leave valuables in their vehicles in the first place, they would have a lot less to bitch about when it does get stolen.

Except if you take into account that there are also a lot of fools out there in the world. I've seen cars locked and sunroof's open. Nothing of value inside the very nice car....at least it was nice until some teens decided to use the sunroof as a trash can and poured a McDonald's soda and shake through it and run off.

I'm also quite certain most Chicago people don't prefer some homeless guy using their unlocked car as their personal bedroom or worse....toilet.

Grand Master

+Mirumir Subscriber¹

Posted
  • Subscriber¹
Posted

:sleep:

Such unlocking devices have existed since remote control keys were invented. Ten-twenty years ago they used to cost between $10,000-50,000. I don't know about the current prices today, but I assume they've come down a lot.

1. Have insurance.

2. Never ever leave anything of value in a vehicle.

3. Leave it unlocked. If a thief wants in, they will get in. Better than a broken window, and nothing lost when you keep nothing of value in the car. If they steal the car itself, insurance will cover it.

I've done these three things for around 10 years (the unlocked part I started a few years ago). I've had my CD player stolen twice in this time, and the two times it got stolen, I had to replace my windows, because I accidentally locked the car and they busted them out. Now I always make sure to bring my faceplate inside with me.

It sucks having to do this crap, but it is the world we live in. =/

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm under the impression that a car owner has to take each and every precaution NOT to get their car stolen. It's in the contract. You can't "wave a sign" on your car "please steal it" by leaving it unlocked all the time (unless you live in rural areas) and expect to collect your payment when it does get stolen.

If it was easy like that, I'd be the first to park my old minivan unlocked in a ghetto...coz the insurance would pay me more than the car's current market value.

And why not leave the keys in the car too? It will save you the trouble of repairing the cracked ignition later on.

Grand Master

+hedleigh Subscriber²

Posted
  • Subscriber²
Posted

Yes they will. It is called cheating the system. Yes, they will ask you if it was locked, if the keys were in it, etc... But they don't know anything other than the answers you give them.

Perfect example, my old boss many years ago was starting to dislike his truck. When he took a trip to Atlanta, he left the vehicle running, on purpose, with the driver door open. Of course it got stolen, and thanks to his coverage, and the claim he made, it was covered.

There, fixed that for you.

That's one of the reasons that comprehensive insurance is so expensive.

  • jamieakers, 123456789A and djdanster
  • Like 3
Grand Master

n_K

Posted
Posted

This made... news?

It's common sense and isn't hard, it's called RF sniffing and has been done in practise for a VERY long time now.

Record what RF signals are around, go back later and replay them, oh look, car unlocks!111one

Contributor

Liquidfox

Posted
Posted

This made... news?

It's common sense and isn't hard, it's called RF sniffing and has been done in practise for a VERY long time now.

Record what RF signals are around, go back later and replay them, oh look, car unlocks!111one

That's the problem though, it's not that simple. At least with most EU manufacturers, the fob and immobiliser work on rolling codes. Every time you press the fob the code changes, this means you can't just simply replay a captured code.

Grand Master

HSoft

Posted
Posted

That's the problem though, it's not that simple. At least with most EU manufacturers, the fob and immobiliser work on rolling codes. Every time you press the fob the code changes, this means you can't just simply replay a captured code.

Not quite sure I get this. It's a decent idea but...

I have 2 keys for my car. My wife has one and I have one. I press to unlock the car, the fob and the immobiliser change codes. Haven't I just made my spare key completely useless?

Maybe a hash based on time stamp or something but I think the above method is a little impractical.

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