keyless entry cars being stolen

[volvo for ever]

heard this last week from a friend who delivers car parts to dealers

cars with keyless entry system being taken off fore courts ,

i saw article last year about this and phoned volvo to be honest they wouldnt comment on problem
after my friend telling me this i ordered 2x faraday pouches from amazon £8 and they work great ,my neighbour across the road who has focus rs has also invested in new pouches

[Cruize]

Yeah this is a thing at the moment.

Takes more than one person to do it though.
One thief stands near the house with a device which repeats the code your key emits. The other stands near the car.
The device repeats your cars code which then puts it in range of the car to think your nearby and the other thief then unlocks and starts your car. Then off they go...

The more sophisticated the cars get the more sophisticated the thieves have to be... They carry around their own ECU's for some cars, crazy...

[Tannaton]

The key (no pun intended) point here is that the Volvo system has not been hacked like others, to take the car you need to "relay" that signal from the key to the car. Hence if you keep your keys near the front door, someone can stand at the front door with a repeater and another can stand near the car with the other half of the repeater so the car thinks the key is much closer than it is.

Given that - I would doubt the story about cars being stolen from dealer forecourts as I expect the keys would be locked in a key safe over night - and not near the windows and doors.

The two things I don't understand are:

- Given Volvo have a industry leading security process where you can only program new keys to their cars with VIDA and whilst online to Volvo's central servers via a registered subscription - why can't they prevent new keys being programmed to stolen cars?

- Why on earth does the Volvo system allow the car to be driven without the key being inside the car? My MY17 XC60 was keyless and you could drive it with no key once it had been started (albeit there was a warning chime and a message on the dash).

[I-S]

Originally Posted by Tannaton

- Why on earth does the Volvo system allow the car to be driven without the key being inside the car? My MY17 XC60 was keyless and you could drive it with no key once it had been started (albeit there was a warning chime and a message on the dash).

Safety - should the key fail while you're driving on the motorway it would be extremely dangerous for the car to shut down. My Nissan and Lexus cars with keyless behave the same way.

The real question is why hasn't anyone other than Tesla responded to this issue by offering a simple PIN-to-drive function? These cars have touchscreens or input methods that mean that it is easy to have a screen (make it part of the disclaimer screen that you have to OK at the start of every journey anyway) where you must enter a code before the vehicle can be moved.

Return to security theory - there are three methods to identify and verify a person as a valid user:

What you are. This means physical aspects of you that can not easily be replicated, eg fingerprint, retinal scan, DNA.

What you have. This means that you carry a unique or almost unique object, the obvious example being a key (whether physical or keyless).

What you know. Passwords, PIN numbers, etc. Something that you know that no one else does.

The problem at the moment stems from the fact that cars use very simple single-step security - possession of a key. Adding a PIN-to-Drive function requires that you not only HAVE something but that you KNOW something, moving the security to a two-factor authentication.

[Fat Magpie]

Guys regarding security:

If they want your car they will get it, no matter what security device is fitted. If you have retina scan or fingerprint recognition expect to lose an eyeball or finger in the course of a theft. Already in my neck of the woods, the scum will break into your home and threaten your kids with knives to get your keys if they can't defeat the car's security.
This is not the manufacturer's problem nor is it an insurance issue.

We need a working deterrent, a US-style supermax prison system with 3 strikes and 15 yrs etc.
It's easy to think my insurance will cover it but it is a profitable industry for that who steal professionally earning up to 5k a car. Not bad for an evenings work and it is tax-free.

[Tannaton]

Originally Posted by I-S

Safety - should the key fail while you're driving on the motorway it would be extremely dangerous for the car to shut down. My Nissan and Lexus cars with keyless behave the same way.

The real question is why hasn't anyone other than Tesla responded to this issue by offering a simple PIN-to-drive function? These cars have touchscreens or input methods that mean that it is easy to have a screen (make it part of the disclaimer screen that you have to OK at the start of every journey anyway) where you must enter a code before the vehicle can be moved.

Return to security theory - there are three methods to identify and verify a person as a valid user:

What you are. This means physical aspects of you that can not easily be replicated, eg fingerprint, retinal scan, DNA.

What you have. This means that you carry a unique or almost unique object, the obvious example being a key (whether physical or keyless).

What you know. Passwords, PIN numbers, etc. Something that you know that no one else does.

The problem at the moment stems from the fact that cars use very simple single-step security - possession of a key. Adding a PIN-to-Drive function requires that you not only HAVE something but that you KNOW something, moving the security to a two-factor authentication.

I get the safety thing but it could sense for they key everytime the car comes to rest...

The terminology for your other point is 2-factor authentication. Biometrics would never be an option really as all drivers would have to be pre-programmed. Pin numbers may be the way - remember in the late 90's when Peugeot's and Citroen had them?

FYI retinal scans work on the blood vessels so if the eye is removed from a living person, it wont scan anymore...