Hacking cars

It's oh so easy in films.

This is according to the BBC

Some cars now have electrically operated steering locks. ordinary key locks are mostly, quite easily broken, or pull the barrel with a slide hammer and use a screwdriver.

very old story btw

What that says is it's easy to interfere with the electronics on the car when it's running. Not quite the same thing as 'starting it up with a magic box'

For that you'd want a BMW :-)

Sod it, posted wrong link;

The simplest way that thieves are gaining access to vehicles is by using a cheap device that blocks the fob signal to lock the car. They sit in a car park, and as you leave the vehicle, activate the blocking device. The majority of folk don't check that the car has locked. Once you have walked away, your vehicle is open for them to help themselves.

Son-in-law lost a load of expensive tools from his Transit in precisely this type of crime.

Chris

Similar, perhaps the same story in Huffington Post today together with a link to an actual paper. Was reading it on the tablet, havn't integrated my systems yet.

Here's the link

The aftermarket system on my old Rover bleeps gently when you use the remote (and flashes the lights) - as they all once did. But on the newer car which doesn't, you can still hear the locks operate.

However, the gang who were operating in this area were stealing from several cars and vans a day, and often from the same car park, hence:

"The majority of folk don't check that the car has locked."

Chris

Think I would even more if I had a van full of expensive tools. After all it's not unknown for individual lock motors to fail on any car.

It's a similar thing to being taken in by scam emails, etc. You do have to be on your guard where possible. And checking a car has locked is a pretty easy thing to do.

Dave Plowman (News) put finger to keyboard:

Until you get one of those proximity fobs.

Do they stop you trying the doors? And don't give any indication the locking has happened?

Thing is on every car I've ever had the remote locking may not always work in a dead spot or whatever. Not common, but does happen. So not really any different from a thief deliberately creating a dead spot.

Yes. If you try the door, it will open, as you have the fob in your pocket.

Not sure, as I've never owned one, yet...

Or not if the thief has his blocker switched on... ;-)

Me neither.

on the few that I have come across: locking the doors happens by touching the appropriate part of the door handle, so a thief with a blanking device could not stop the door locking as there is no rf involved.( if the fob is in your pocket or bag anyway, there is little point getting it out in order to lock the car) the fob does have lock and unlock buttons, but they are not needed and only used by people that don't know how the system operates or in some odd circumstances. unlocking is caused when the person with the fob pulls the handle. both lock and unlock are audible under normal conditions as you are right by the vehicle when it happens.

How does the car know there is a fob nearby if not by using RF?

I leave my fob hidden away about me for month after month and only use the buttons on the outside of the car.

Lock and unlock are audible, though not always so obvious on a noisy street.

Next step needs to be car sending a text or email to mobile phone if left unlocked and fob not close by...