DD_545i

You know I've been here years and didn't just sign up yesterday to get people to click a link.

This concerns me and makes me wonder what I can easily do to not get caught out by this. Especially as I'm visiting the UK next week.

I know that for fun pranks, sometimes people used to take off the distributor cap to watch people be unable to start their car. I wonder what similar and easy thing we can do to our cars to prevent someone with a key from making off with our cars this easily. Just a simple switch under the dash would do the trick.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19562487

west

My guess based on the fact that it took them so long to steal the car is that they went about this using a traditional key programming tool such as this:

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVmPfCFFkqQ[/media]

For those that care to learn a little about what an attack without a key looks like as well as a description of the weaknesses in the key negotiation protocol (which the above example does not attempt to exploit), feel free to check out these videos:

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8z9mgIkqBA&feature=related[/media]

west

(the other video I tried to post)
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuawgiYpXHo[/media]

DD_545i

So it's just those contactless keys then. That's something of a relief. I wonder if it's so easy to make a transmitter that will unlock the car for those of us with older BMWs that have a proper physical key for starting, but a RF sender built-in for [un]locking the door and turning off the alarm. I know it helps the thief if they managed to capture your key's signal by being nearby with some kind of scanner, but assuming they didn't do that, can we feel safe?

west

Both keys are vulnerable. These are designed to decode the keyway of a non-comfort access lock and take roughly 10-15 seconds to succeed (operator must have knowledge of how to use this tool effectively):



You could always try using one of these rake tools too, but they don't work, even if you try for a long time:

DD_545i

I think I might go to my local garage and ask if they'll install a secret switch that cuts power to the ignition (but not to the alarm).

west

Not a bad idea. Just make sure it's isolated and hidden well. Please keep us posted if you discover anything useful along the way.

While you're at it, keep your cell phone in a faraday cage and don't expose your computer to the internet.

DD_545i

Considering it'll probably cost $20, it's not a bad idea. I don't think it's too paranoid to be a bit concerned, if there are crews targeting BMWs in the UK and I'm heading there next week (where I'll have to park my car on the street overnight a lot) and my car looks worth a lot more than it really is.

Ha Ha

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