Hackers can steal your keyless car in 60 seconds.
Top tips to protect your vehicle from being hacked.
Car makers are adding increasing amounts of technology to our cars, and new technology comes with new risks that drivers need to understand and learn how to prevent. The rise of keyless cars has triggered a wave of thefts, studies reveal. While three in five wouldn’t buy a keyless car due to hacking risk, insurance premiums could rise for those who own a model frequently targeted.
Here are three of the most popular car hacks and tips to protect yourself from falling victim to this crime.
- Relay attack.
Your car keys signal cannot reach the car from inside your home, however, criminals using the ‘relay method’ can boost the signal from your keys even when they are away from the car and they imitate the exact signal. The criminals use two cheap devices to trick your car into thinking that its entry fob is nearby: the car unlocks and allows the thief access.
How to stay safe: The best way to protect yourself from this type of crime is to disable your key signal when not using your car or keeping your key fob in a secure container that blocks radio transmissions.
- Keyless jamming
Another method used by thieves is preventing the car key locking signal from reaching your car. This way your car remains unlocked when you move away from it and the thieves are then able to access easily the unsecured vehicle.
How to stay safe: To prevent this from happening, make sure to check your car doors manually and use a steering wheel lock that will stop criminals from being able to take your car, even if it is unlocked.
- Tire pressure monitor systems
Another way of hacking a car for criminals is to interfere with sensors inside a car’s tires that monitor pressure. Criminals use low-end and openly available equipment to track a car’s movements and give false tire pressure readings to the dashboard. This could then lure you to check the pressure at a garage and for thieves to pounce.
How to stay safe: When you check your tire pressure, lock all doors when you do and seek advice from a car garage if in doubt.
According to This Is Money.