Are Keyless Cars Hackable? - Comments Page 1

How about using a small gun safe? They're made of metal and very strong. You can buy a small digital pistol safe for under a $100 on Amazon.

Interesting..... I do not have a keyless car but..., my Bike (Harley Davidson) does. I will develop a safe enclosure for that fob. Thanks for the info Bob!

Hey, I like that, a tinfoil hat for your keyfob. Convenience is getting to be a real problem, just like having to walk across the room to adjust your TV set.

Some years ago (mid-nineties) I think it was Citroen used 2 factor security on the cars ignition. The key had a chip as well as physical shape. You turned on ignition, then had to key in a PIN (on a pad that folded down next to steering wheel) then turned key remaining way over to start the engine.

That was both a pain but really useful as even if someone stole the keys unless they knew the PIN they still couldn't drive the car off.

Surely with even more electronics around this could be revived.

I have the FOB where a button has to be pushed to unlock doors, open lift gate, and just has to be in the proximity of the cars interior to start it up. However, I can remotely start the car, lock and unlock doors, flash the light, and blow the horn remotely with an app on my cell phone.
Is this "hackable?"

How about a Black Hole Faraday Key Fob Bag - Anti-hacking Security Bag for your Key Fob? (Amazon for only $19.99!) :-) It shields the signal of the electronic push-button key fob. I ordered one for another reason, after setting off the panic alarm button in my pocket while moving a box, for the umpteenth time. But it works for this reason, too.

What is the position regarding car insurance? The insurers could claim that you had not locked the vehicle, as there will be no forced entry damage.

I don't see the point of keyless entry. You have to touch the door knob to open the door.

So, am I to understand that those of us who have keyless autos either carry the fob around in a steel box in our pockets or wrap it in aluminum foil? Like the proverbial mousetrap, the world will beat a path to the door of the guy that invents a better solution to this problem.

How about a lockable key case like the car dealers use? An all metal one should work.

I have a 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. Once started, you can walk away from the car with the digital key in your pocket. The car will chime for about 10 seconds then quits and the car stays running for anyone to jump into the drivers seat and take off. It would seem when one walks away with the digital key the car would shut down, not in the case listed above.

How about a version of the foil-lined cardboard sleeve used to shield credit cards equipped with RFID chips? Passports and other items with RFID chips as well. Search Amazon on 'protectif' for a look at one line of such offerings.

There are many RFID-blocking items on the market now and some are very fashionable. It doesn't have to be a metal case or aluminum credit card box. An internet search for rfid blocking will turn up ID cases, pouches, wallets, purses, and passport holders. Many are even available at local retailers. Bob - will these do the trick?

On arriving home I put my wallet, phone, pocket change and key fob into a wicker basket by the door. Sounds like I need to upgrade to a metal box!

On the other hand, maybe I will let someone open the door and take my parking-meter change instead of breaking a window...

In re: "steering wheel lock", I once saw a news
video clip of a former thief showing how to deal
with "The Club". He took a hacksaw and cut the wheel to remove the device in less than a minute.
As his interest was in selling the car in parts
he was unconcerned about the wheel damage itself,
unlike those of us who pay for and own our "Pride
and Joys".

Not sure how many people offering these "solutions" actually has the latest key fob. I NEVER have to take my fob out of my pocket on my 2014 Subaru Forester. As long as I am in range, not much more than a meter from either front door or the rear hatch I just touch a spot on the door handle or the rear hatch to lock or unlock the doors or open or close the hatch. Putting it into anything that blocks the signal means that I might as well go back to a key that I have to take out of my pocket to do anything.
My solution is owning a car that while it meets all my needs living in a four season area is not nearly as desirable to thieves as a sports or luxury car. I also live in an area that while thieves certainly exist, very few if any are as industrious or intelligent as the big city thieves Bob describes above.

I also start the car with the fob in my pocket.

Richard with the Hyundai, my Subaru also will run without the fob in the car, but it is my understanding that it is not actually drivable without the fob in the car.

Exceptionally well-written article, and a reminder that with technological gadgets, "new" is not necessarily a synonym for "better".

Historically, car makers seldom voluntarily have adopted expensive measures for consumer benefit, especially after manufacture. That applies all too often to correction of even their mistakes which continue to cost individuals, directly.

Therefore the only practical protection is requirement that automotive OEMs enable two-key encrypted code for both the "ignition" and "disable ignition" functions. Welcome to the new Internet of Things.

Don: " the world will beat a path to the door of the guy that invents a better solution to this problem."

It's called a key.

My thanks for another great article. Also, to Bob W for his comment/suggestion on a Black Hole Faraday Key Fob Bag.

At least once every couple of weeks, I too, manage to activate a button on either of two vehicle fobs in my pockets. (Unlocking or locking a driver's side door is the most common result.) But I'm far more concerned when I find that a side door has opened on the minivan outside, unbeknownst to me (requiring two accidental presses.) How long was it open? Will a nasty storm be going through the next time? That bag sounds like a small, lightweight, portable solution to several issues.

I had the exact opposite problem with fobs. If the electrical system stopped, wouldn't you be locked in your car? That was one of the many reasons I passed on a Prius.