Remote-Control Car Locks Vulnerable, Tests Reveal

[webfact]

Remote-control car locks vulnerable, tests reveal
THE NATION



BANGKOK: -- Signal interference blocks locking mechanisms in four major vehicle makes flaw allows thieves to prevent cars from being locked and to prey on owners

A test conducted by The Nation on four makes of cars - three Japanese and one American - found that signal interference can block their remote-control locking mechanisms.

Dusit Suksawas, a lecturer with the electronics engineering division at King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Lat Krabang, conducted a similar test.

The technique usually involves thieves hiding in car parks, using their frequency jammers and then gaining entry to the unattended vehicles. In more serious cases, criminals may use their device to prevent owners from entering their cars, leaving them vulnerable to assault.

The easiest way to foil the jammers is to manually lock the doors with the key rather than using the remote, Dusit said.

Toyotas are most vulnerable, Dusit said, and he based this assertion on the fact that many of his students owned Toyotas that had been stolen or broken into.

He said he conducted tests on several remote-control units and found that they all work on the same range of frequencies, which are widely available.

The test by The Nation found this vulnerability to exist with most middle-sized and smaller cars, but larger Japanese and European makes were not affected.

Also, the vulnerability appears to be an issue with remote controls issued by automobile manufacturers. A test on after-market remote controls showed they could not be disrupted.

Toyota Thailand insists that its remotes are not flawed, although there is a caution about theft in the vehicle handbooks.

"There are several factors that might contribute to the disruption in the operation of remote controls used with cars, but there is nothing wrong with those produced by Toyota, especially units used with the Vios," said Manus Daomanee, Toyota Thailand's technical services general manager.

Remote control units could be disrupted by strong electromagnetic fields, such as those from nearby generators, radio transmissions or other remote-control units.

"The manual also says the remote control units' operational range is no more than five metres," he said.

Cases where cars were stolen or broken into because the doors weren't locked were usually the result of the remote-control batteries being weak.

Investigations into all incidents reported to Toyota would be carried out, Manus added.

A source with Honda Automobile (Thailand) give similar explanations, and advised car owners to make it a habit to always visually check that all the car doors are locked, or manually inspect them by pulling on the door handles.

Car remotes use three types of transmissions - analog, digital and infrared. Analog, which has a five-metre radius, is the easiest to exploit, while a digital remote's range is 30 metres and is harder to compromise. The infrared type is no longer used, a source said.


-- The Nation 2013-03-22

[IMHO]

Another good reason to fit one of these if your car has folding mirrors:

http://www.simplycoolshop.com/tha/products/smc.php

Nothing quite like the surety of a visual indication that your car is locked...

Unfortunately these still won't protect you from more sophisticated 'code grabbers' the real pros use (not mentioned in the article), or someone just pointing a gun/knife at you..

Edited March 22, 2013 by IMHO

[retell]

with my toyota it is possible to lock the car from inside the house at about 20 meters distance (new batteries) but i always lock the car nearby so i can hear the locks fall in place

[keemapoot]

Actually, the older remote locking systems, though annoying with their high pitched "chirp, chirp", were better in this regard, because they audibly let you know the car was locked. As I recall, the first silent remote lock I had was on my 91 Lexus LS 400, so I guess is a long time ago. Still, maybe some return to an audible sound would be better.

In the US, radio frequencies on garage door openers can also be jammed/rigged to rob homes. If criminals have access to advanced RF gear, car theft like this may be a problem more into the future.

[Spoonman]

Another good reason to fit one of these if your car has folding mirrors:

http://www.simplycoolshop.com/tha/products/smc.php

Nothing quite like the surety of a visual indication that your car is locked...

Unfortunately these still won't protect you from more sophisticated 'code grabbers' the real pros use (not mentioned in the article), or someone just pointing a gun/knife at you..

The ones from PO-40 are almost half that price.

http://www.po-40.com/

[WarpSpeed]

Not new news, another scam to be aware of even easier is to steal your car keys if you lay them down briefly and steal your car with the alarm system giving a visual light flashing or other signal when the thief goes into the parking lot and essentially your car calls them..

[VocalNeal]

I liked the old Mitsubishi 3000GT. It is the only car I have experience with that has a small magnetic switch somewhere behind the dash, known only to the owner. Even if you have gained access to the car you still cannot start the engine without putting the small magnet on the spot on the dash before you insert he key to start.

[WarpSpeed]

So just curious? Was it only available on YOUR car? Otherwise unlikely that it is any real deterrent to any half experienced thief as it's not exclusive information that can't be easily sussed about the model. Most keys are chipped now adays (at least on midrange to higher end models) and that's a much better deterrent since just getting in is only half the battle..

Edited March 22, 2013 by WarpSpeed

[VocalNeal]

So just curious? Was it only available on YOUR car? Otherwise unlikely that it is any real deterrent to any half experienced thief as it's not exclusive information that can't be easily sussed about the model. Most keys are chipped now adays (at least on midrange to higher end models) and that's a much better deterrent since just getting in is only half the battle..

Nope came standard with 3000 GT. Apparently the switch behind the dash is attached at random by the guys on the line and so there are quite a lot of permutations. The position or location only indicated with a sticker at the time of purchase so location is exclusive to the owner. Even if you have the set of keys and the special tiny magnet unless you know where to put the magnet...

I suspect not popular as in the US you would be screwed for valet parking.

[JetsetBkk]

I can't use my remote to lock my pickup at the top of this hill:

Something to do with all the mobile 'phone towers...

.

[rawhod]

I can't use my remote to lock my pickup at the top of this hill:

Something to do with all the mobile 'phone towers...

.

Maybe you should try this...

Edited March 22, 2013 by rawhod

[JetsetBkk]

Maybe you should try this...

Very good!

But I think it is likely that his key fob has the LED - or signal emitter - on the top side of the device, so that it is not so much he is using his head as an aerial, but he is pointing the emitter straight at the car.

When my battery was getting old, I had to point the top surface at the pickup to get it to work. Once I'd replaced the 12v battery, I could lock the pickup from inside the house.

[Locationthailand]

Use an isolation switch. Thieves won't waste time trying to find it. Far better than a remote and all you need is a cheap LED on the dash indicating an alarm even if there is none. They will not be able to dial a frequency as it has no affect on a switchable LED. You can also buy a standard isolation keyway from a marine deal that isolates the coil. Very easy and far more effective.

[Mampara]

Most remote control car locks work with a solenoid doesn't it? a solenoid needs pressure to release the spring doesn't it? Ever heard of a tennis-ball with a hole in it? the rest I leave to your imagination.

[WarpSpeed]

Most remote control car locks work with a solenoid doesn't it? a solenoid needs pressure to release the spring doesn't it? Ever heard of a tennis-ball with a hole in it? the rest I leave to your imagination.

Yeah that myth's been debunked, it doesn't work..

[Ace of Pop]

Ive been used to posh Cars till now, why dont they close the bloody windows on lockdown.

[vijer]

Well I don't know about you, but I press the button and wait to hear the locks engage and the lights flash, then a few moments later I press the button again just to make sure it is locked.

But I really doubt thieves are bothering to jamb the signal, getting into the car is minor compared to circumventing the ignition interlock, but they know how to do that too. So in reality, the remote lock on your car is for your convenience and to deter the casual thief, like the lock on your home it won't deter a determined criminal.

[WarpSpeed]

Well I don't know about you, but I press the button and wait to hear the locks engage and the lights flash, then a few moments later I press the button again just to make sure it is locked.

But I really doubt thieves are bothering to jamb the signal, getting into the car is minor compared to circumventing the ignition interlock, but they know how to do that too. So in reality, the remote lock on your car is for your convenience and to deter the casual thief, like the lock on your home it won't deter a determined criminal.

Yep, as they say, locks are for honest people they have little effect on the professionals..

Edited March 23, 2013 by WarpSpeed

[landslide]

One other method may be used to access a locked vehicle. A couple months ago I accidently locked my self out of the car with the engine running. I failed in my attempts to break in with a wire hanger. I then dialed 411 to call a locksmith. When I pushed call, my doors unlocked. I tested it again later while holding a spare key, and the cellphone opened my door again. Seems to work on my Honda Accord, so maybe it will work on others.

[retell]

One other method may be used to access a locked vehicle. A couple months ago I accidently locked my self out of the car with the engine running. I failed in my attempts to break in with a wire hanger. I then dialed 411 to call a locksmith. When I pushed call, my doors unlocked. I tested it again later while holding a spare key, and the cellphone opened my door again. Seems to work on my Honda Accord, so maybe it will work on others.

gonna try this now

[Ace of Pop]

You might just as well blow up the Exhaust Pipe. .

[keemapoot]

You might just as well blow up the Exhaust Pipe. .

Haha, that's true, especially if you know about radio frequencies. I'm not sure which mobile carrier landslide is using, but I wasn't aware of car remotes using 850/900/1800 MHz bands. I could be wrong, too lazy to look it up, but that is a new one for sure.

[WarpSpeed]

One other method may be used to access a locked vehicle. A couple months ago I accidently locked my self out of the car with the engine running. I failed in my attempts to break in with a wire hanger. I then dialed 411 to call a locksmith. When I pushed call, my doors unlocked. I tested it again later while holding a spare key, and the cellphone opened my door again. Seems to work on my Honda Accord, so maybe it will work on others.

gonna try this now

You're going to lock your keys in your car while it's running? If you don't duplicate it EXACTLY you may not know for certain if it works correctly .....Just sayin like ....

[retell]

You might just as well blow up the Exhaust Pipe. .

Haha, that's true, especially if you know about radio frequencies. I'm not sure which mobile carrier landslide is using, but I wasn't aware of car remotes using 850/900/1800 MHz bands. I could be wrong, too lazy to look it up, but that is a new one for sure.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remote_keyless_system

[Daffy D]

Another good reason to fit one of these if your car has folding mirrors:

http://www.simplycoolshop.com/tha/products/smc.php

Nothing quite like the surety of a visual indication that your car is locked...

Unfortunately these still won't protect you from more sophisticated 'code grabbers' the real pros use (not mentioned in the article), or someone just pointing a gun/knife at you..

Thanks for the link

Just what I wanted for my Toyota pick-up. Took about half hour to fit and now have automatic folding side mirrors and a chirp-chirp with lock/unlock.

No more worries about having locked the car, just look at the position of the mirrors

Very Cool

[mogandave]

Yeah, my lights blink when it locks.

I've had a number of cars stolen and broken into and my recommendation is to never leave valuables in the car and buy good insurance. If my car is stolen, I get a new one. If they break in, all they get is practice.

[Spoonman]

Yeah, my lights blink when it locks.

I've had a number of cars stolen and broken into and my recommendation is to never leave valuables in the car and buy good insurance. If my car is stolen, I get a new one. If they break in, all they get is practice.

New for old replacement policy, did not know they existed in Thailand, who are you insured with ?

Edited April 8, 2013 by Spoonman

[Ace of Pop]

My Wife Invented the Ultimate Anti Theft Device.She leaves in just enough Petrol to Reverse out the Garage.

[Morakot]

Toyotas are most vulnerable, Dusit said, and he based this assertion on
the fact that many of his students owned Toyotas that had been stolen or
broken into.

Aah "scientific research"...