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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 ...
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Click here: to donate by Credit Card Or here: to donate by PayPal Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794 Thank you very much and God bless you. |
interesting yes . thank you
this old curmodgeon liked it when keys were simply keys
As everyone knows I hate the tech age.
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.
Did I mention I hate the tech age?
Nonsense. If you want to steal a car, use a tow truck.
Your stolen car is probably a couple of blocks away. Drive around your neighborhood and look.
Go to the police impound lot and look around. The city is not very good at telling you they have your car.
No one is stealing my manual transmission. How many car thieves can drive stick?
Boomer bait on FB. Using the card to “tap” is encrypted. The data is useless to them. Scammers use skimmers which is why I don’t insert my card.
Rand packin' it in to go home.
We’ve been hit twice by the kind of gadget that somehow scans your card at the gas station pump.
We pay cash for gas now, always.
Yikes
From a van outside your home....
“If a Wi-Fi network is unsecured or uses weak security (like WEP, which is outdated), an attacker within range can use software called a packet sniffer to intercept unencrypted data as it is transmitted over the air. This can include website links, photos, and potentially passwords if they are entered on unsecure (HTTP) websites.”
Attackers can “crack” and capture enough wireless traffic (hashes) from networks using older protocols or simple, short passwords (e.g., “12345”) and use tools to crack the password offline in their vehicle.
Evil Twin Attacks. Criminals can set up a rogue Wi-Fi access point that mimics the name (SSID) of a legitimate home network. Devices may automatically connect to this “evil twin” network, allowing the attacker to monitor all traffic and potentially steal sensitive information or redirect users to malicious websites.
Once an attacker gains access to the network, they can attempt to deliver malware (like Remote Access Trojans or keyloggers) to connected computers through various means, such as directing users to compromised websites or tricking them into installing fake software updates. This malware can provide long-term, full access to a computer’s files, screen activity, and even webcam. “
CISA.gov and Internet Crime Complaint Center.
Rule #7: cops don’t care. They’ll take the report but won’t lift a finger find it or the thief.
Two words, Faraday box
Photo....
Darn it. Wrong car that looked exactly like mine again.
This one has a dead body in the trunk. Can’t they make those trunk lock key fobs more individualized?
The post millennial generations are driving stick shifts more then Millenials ever did or Gen x for that matter.
‘73 LTDs were stolen with a piece of metal.. Lemons such as ‘78 Gran Torinos were stolen by key left on the driver’s side front tire...
All vehicles are easily “stolen”.
Sincere thanks.
I am a Luddite and very strongly anti-tech and I thank you for that information. True, contactless does not allow numbers to be hacked like strips do.
I am the last person of all who are using FR to know something like that.
“Because the card never enters a slot, “shimmers” (devices that read chip data) and traditional skimmers cannot read the card’s data, as noted in this article from Canvas Credit Union.”
https://www.canvas.org/blog/post/tap-to-pay
Someone hit my car at a Walmart a couple of months ago. I was in the store for 20 minutes and after seeing the damage went to the customer service counter to see if I could check out their surveillance camera to identify the guity party that hit my car. They said they wouldn’t allow anything without a police report. I called the police and they came to my house and barely even looked at the damage, took 20 minutes in his car and was sort of giving me the third degree. I asked if they were going to check the surveillance cameras at Walmart and got a vague response. I even showed him on my iphone exactly where my car was on the map app that pinpointed where I tokk the picture and that’s when I discovered that new feature from one of the more recent iPhone updates that put a pin on the map from where a picture was taken. The cop didn’t show any interest in that. Never heard back from the police. I bet they didn’t do a damned thing. He did say just by me reporting this I had to disclose this as a crash when I went to sell my car so basically I screwed myself and not have anything to show for other than crumpled sheet metal that I would have to pay for out of my own pocket.
Fob?
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