Posted on 02/08/2026 2:20:18 PM PST by RandFan
Thieves don't need a key to steal a car
Since the 1990s, most cars have had coded keys containing an electronic microchip which is paired with an engine immobiliser.
It was meant to make it hard to steal a car without the key - but that didn't stop these thieves. How did they do it?
The police officers who came to my home told me about something known as a "relay attack".
It works like this.
One thief stands close to the property, near an area where the car owner is likely to keep their keys - usually the kitchen or the hallway.
They have a piece of equipment which picks up the radio signal emitted by the key fob, then relays it to another bit of kit held by an accomplice next to the car.
If a car has a keyless ignition system, the thieves just push the start button and drive away. Literally gone in 60 seconds.
Another technique is a "CAN bus attack" where a different piece of equipment is plugged into the car's wiring network, confusing the electronic control system with fake messages and bypassing the immobiliser.
In November, French and Italian investigators arrested five people suspected of manufacturing such devices, external which have been sold worldwide, disguised as portable Bluetooth loudspeakers.
These gadgets, traded on the Dark Web or using encrypted messaging, can cost thousands. But for a "professional" car crime gang, it's a long-term business investment.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...
+1
Shawn Ryan had a hacking expert on his podcast a while back. He showed all sorts of dark web hacking devices people can buy. Some pretty scary stuff.
My 80’s SWB Chevy had a toggle switch mounted just above the gas pedal. It cut off the coil power. Luckily no one ever tried to steal it, as that involved breaking the key switch out of the steering column and depressing start switch rod. That type theft required “ rebuilding the steering column”, not cheap back in the day.
We keep our FOBs in a box that is basically a Faraday cage, it blocks the signals from getting in or out and I have a couple pouches for on the go that do the same thing.
-SB
I also installed a kill switch on my Taco and my wife’s Canyon that renders them as dead battery.
Whenever I park in a Walmart lot I always pull the battery out and take it with me. I also drain the gas.
frank ballenger wrote: “Recently read about devices that are recording data from credit cards at stores and gas stations, and you’d have to have not only anti-RFID wallets but faraday cage material surrounding the cards and your wallet and car key fob to protect against them.”
I wouldn’t worry about that:
RFID credit cards (using NFC technology) typically have a very short read range of 1 to 4 cm (0.4 to 1.6 inches), designed for secure, close-proximity, “tap-to-pay” transactions. While, in theory, specialized, high-powered equipment could extend this range, standard consumer contactless cards require immediate proximity to a reader, generally functioning within 10 cm or less.”
Um you can just grab one of the plug wires and use it. Drive away on 5 or 7 cylinders.
I'm with you. I hate the push button ignition. Last two cars I've leased have had them.
Me too and I’m in IT.
GM old school simple key locks could be bypassed with a screwdriver.
This is the top answer and it hasn’t changed since the tow truck was invented.
This is no longer the case. These days, especially with the advent of the “Kia Boys”, the car is often stolen to commit other crimes with and then dump or torch. Joyriding of the kind you describe is no longer the prevalent stolen car use.
Hello FaithHopeCharity.
Len Deighton is still alive, at 96.
I suppose it’s too much to hope for that he might be able to write another Bernard Samson MI6spy novel?
I did so enjoy that series.
To be fair, push button ignitions mean you don’t have to replace the ignition switch every few years like you sometimes had to do with key switches. Especially with the multi-pound heavy key rings some people like to use.
That said, there are ways to prevent someone from making off with your keyless-go car. One of my favorites is a remote kill switch that takes the place of a critical relay, where it contains a cell-linked control system plus a GPS unit. It can tell you where it is and if the thing moves outside a geofenced boundary, it just kills the vehicle.
My old '52 Chevy stepside had:
well at least the old keys didnt require you to pay a fortune to have them programmed, reprogrammed, or whatever at the dealership
and they were certainly less prone to memory loss or failure to function
smiles
smiles
hi
i dont know. sometimes elderly authors learn how to use tape recorders or get scribes and they can be quite productive, yet
A MT *is* a fairly effective Millennial and younger anti-threft device.
yAY!
understood
we have a stick shift car that almost no thieves can drive awy, smiles smiles
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