Originally implemented by the automotive industry in the 1980s, keyless entry systems were considered an exciting new feature that only select cars implemented into their design. Initially, these systems included a keypad on the exterior of the driver-side door above the door handle. A correctly-entered five-button code would unlock the driver’s door. After entering the initial code, additional unique codes would then unlock the other doors and the trunk. It was promoted as a luxury feature, to avoid having to unlock doors and trunks with a key.
Fast forward to the mid 1990’s and the influx of the automotive “key fob” (officially Remote Keyless System, or RKS) to make locking and unlocking car doors and trunks even easier.
Fast forward again to 2016, and, just like every other technology, the technology has advanced. Now automotive manufacturers not only use RKS to unlock a car remotely by the click of a button, or, just by bringing the fob near the car to unlock it automatically, but the same technology – basically Radio Frequency Identification (or RFID) – now allows drivers to start their cars just by having the fob in the car and pressing the start button.
But let’s get back to the proximity feature. Now this is a super convenient feature for parents trying to get their kids in the car, or who have their hands full of groceries, or soccer balls, when the driver has their hands full, but sadly, this advanced feature does have its drawbacks.
Thousands of drivers have reported that due to the longer range built into modern fobs, thieves are able to either enter the vehicle while the driver is approaching and demand the RKS key to start (and steal) the vehicle, or it has allowed thieves to enter the vehicle, steal whatever they can grab quickly, and make a quick getaway. Now, throw some hackers and high-end technology into the mix, and we’re looking at an even bigger problem.
Hackers are able to use high-tech key decoders to break into these vehicles. When you lock your doors using the RKS feature, hackers within a certain distance are able to use a sniffing device to intercept and clone your security code. The Society of Motor Manufacturers stated, “It has become very easy for thieves to bypass security by hacking into the signals transmitted between the vehicle and key fob. Although automakers have been actively trying to upgrade software to prevent this, miscreants manage to electronically bypass such safeguards.” Miscreants! And if the security risk alone wasn’t troubling enough, now insurance companies, also skeptical about the feature, are starting to hike up insurance premiums because these vehicles are simply more likely to get stolen.
So for you vehicle owners that have an RKS feature, there are a couple of things you can do to better protect yourself. First, find out the range of your RKS and, if possible, reduce that range to the lowest distance (usually 3 meters). Secondly, if possible, don’t use the RKS feature at all to avoid this issue entirely. Lastly, at the very least, be sure to manually lock your car door by hitting the lock button inside the car – that way if someone is sitting in the parking lot trying to intercept your code, you won’t be their next victim.
