Are Hackers Taking Advantage of Key Fob Technology to Break Into Cars?
Ru Chen
· 3 min read
Car thieves
have upped their game. They’re hacking into cars without even needing to steal a key fob. That is quite different compared to the usual suspects of car break-ins. A man in Wisconsin has just gotten his car stolen in this way, and he’s not the only one.
High-tech car break-ins becoming more common
WISC-TV
reported that Jon Heller of Wisconsin was a victim of this new kind of car theft just this month. Heller has cared for his 2005 Crown Victoria for 10 years. You can imagine the sentimental value of a car, especially when it’s been around so long. In this case, it’s been a great source of stability and familiarity for Heller.
Overnight, it was stolen from his lot. Heller was confused because he still had his keys.
Surveillance footage showed three men checking the cars out, including one man who was armed with a gun and looking ready to shoot any witnesses to their grand theft auto.
They took out a device that appeared to scan the car, and simply…unlocked Heller’s car. As easily as if they were the owners. That night, they drove away with three cars.
Law enforcement has been helping Heller and other car theft victims track down the perpetrators, but so far, there have been no traces of Heller’s car.
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Device fooling car security systems
CBS News
reports more than 78 of these mysterious break-ins occurred in just a 1-mile radius. Whatever this device is, it appears to be able to mimic a key fob’s frequency and fool the vehicle into thinking the thief possesses the key. This issue has been perplexing law enforcement across the country, and even overseas in Europe. The device is as small as a cigarette pack, but it can disable security alarms with ease. Thieves don’t need to try hot-wiring cars anymore and risk getting caught, they can just walk around at night with the device and see which key fob nearby it can mimic.
Stay vigilant about your key fob
The best method for preventing this high-tech car theft seems to be to keep your key fobs in metal containers. Storing them in freezers is one way to block your key fob’s signal, that way it won’t be detected and mimicked.
Make sure you key your fob with you at all times, and as far away from your car as possible when you’re not driving.
Make sure your car is insured
An important method right now to make sure you’re protected from car theft is to have good insurance coverage. It won’t completely make up for losing a car, but at least it helps monetarily.
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