Wednesday/ car key fobs: for the birds

I see I will have to get a Faraday pouch for my Toyota Camry’s key fob. (A pouch with radio signal shielding in the lining, so that it forms a barrier for emitting or receiving radio signals). There has been reports in Seattle of car thieves using signal amplifier kits to steal cars that use key fobs.

Reports of these shenanigans by thieves are also on YouTube, going as far back as 2013. It makes me wonder if the fancy 2019 models I see in the car commercials on TV, are any less vulnerable. And what about driverless cars? They will be no good if they can be hacked into.

Here’s how the signal-grabbing-and-amplify kit is used to steal cars. Thief A picks up the signal through the front door. The signal is relayed and captured on the device Thief B has. Thief B opens the car, and his device allows him to start the car, and to drive away (presumably after Thief A had hopped in as well).

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *