OBD Safe Device
 

We have had a message from local police concerning vehicle theft etc and suggesting that people fit an' obd safe device' that, I think, effectively bars any tampering with the obd port. Out of curiosity I have looked for information and generally failed, particularly when I included the term 'Volvo' in the title.
Does anyone know anything about these things?
Cheers, Phil

https://www.google.com/search?q=OBD+...utf-8&oe=utf-8


Same principle as for blocking USB ports on PC's.

Is this paranoia or a genuine weakness in my XC70's security? Also, if you want to fit Evgeny's latest tailgate closure dongle, which also does other useful things, you need the OBD port open to receive it.

It's not paranoia, but although a serious weak point on a lot of cars, to be honest a waste of time with a Volvo.

The breach works by allowing devices to access the immobiliser and key programming routines, and either code a new key or fool the car into thinking that a legitimate key is present. Due to Volvo security, they would also need to brute-force crack the CEM which would take a few hours minimum.

I'm retired now, but worked for the police dealing with vehicle thefts for many years. Never known a Volvo not fitted with keyless start to be started and driven without access to an original key, and although keyless start can be compromised it involves a different method to accessing the OBD port.

Things can change though. There are teams of hackers in eastern Europe and the far east in particular, who spend all their time working on bypassing vehicle security systems and manufacturing the kit to do it :(

A frequently used way to steal cars with keyless entry systems is to find out where the key is, use a transponder to forward that signal to another transponder, which is in the vicinity of the car.
This transponder chain will then make it look like the key is right outside the car, so you can unlock the door. In the next moment, you use it again to start the car.

To mitigate this, when the key is stored in the house, new cars frequently are equipped with keys that turn off their transponder, if they haven't moved for a while.
This doesn't help when the perpretator simply walks beside you, after you left the car, though.