Motoring Discussion > Can your car be hacked ? Miscellaneous
Thread Author: henry k Replies: 22

 Can your car be hacked ? - henry k
Maybe ???

uk.norton.com/yoursecurityresource/detail.jsp?aid=car_computer

A plus for running an old simple banger ??
 Can your car be hacked ? - Skoda
Theres been a few reports between ph & Briskoda of new VAG cars being broken into without the alarms going off and without forcing entry. The result seems to be the same each time - stuff taken from the car but the car left behind, locked & alarmed.

East London for most of them but there were 2 in Newcastle. Wonder how many are not reported online.

 Can your car be hacked ? - Dave_
>> new VAG cars being broken into

Last year a fellow I know had his wife's locked, alarmed Audi S5 stolen from their driveway in the night. The keys were in the house the whole time, the car simply vanished without trace. Tracking device not activated, no debirs left behind, nothing.

Leics police told him it happens a lot.
Last edited by: Dave_TDCi on Sun 7 Aug 11 at 23:05
 Can your car be hacked ? - teabelly
Yes is the simple answer. Been loads of vehicles with keyless entry getting nicked. Expensive stuff usually.

A good reason to get one of those steering wheel covers. They'll target someone else's car as they take hours to remove.

Whenever a new technology is introduced into an existing product it is amazing how many basic programming errors these numpties introduce. All this lot has been dealt with previously in many computer systems but it seems car manufacturers probably haven't bothered to think about it much.
 Can your car be hacked ? - zookeeper
i use my krooklok that was still in my nicked (recovered) fiesta on the polo now, the one time i forgot to use it and the car gets nicked it still niggles me now
 Can your car be hacked ? - CGNorwich
Are there any reports, figures etc to support this? Don't recall anything in the press
 Can your car be hacked ? - Bigtee
The vauxhall car key works on 433mhz like most others do i beleive it scrambles a different code everytime it locks.

433mhz is a easy way of getting a transmitter Ham radio use it. :-(
 Can your car be hacked ? - Zero
Yes its easy to transmit on 433mhz, and even easier to receive but what do you transmit? how do you replicate the rolling code, how do you replicate the id of the key?

And then, having unlocked the car, how do you replicate the key to the imobilisor.


There are many heresay tales of cars being hacked to be nicked, no-one has proof or a tested method of how its done, Leads me to believe its not.

There are many other logical reasons for why cars mysteriously disappear, many of which the owner would not like to be revealed.
 Can your car be hacked ? - Number_Cruncher
I think Zero is on the right track here.

I know that Thatcham have also taken something very close to this view.
 Can your car be hacked ? - Old Navy
>> I think Zero is on the right track here.
>>

I agree, there are three power garage doors and numerous cars in range of my house, all using 433mhz. No one has opened the wrong garage or car with any of the remote controls. My central heating uses 433mhz too, no one has hacked that either.
Last edited by: Old Navy on Mon 8 Aug 11 at 11:35
 Can your car be hacked ? - rtj70
I've heard what thieves do is jam the signal so the car isn't locked. Then it's easier to steal an unlocked car without an alarm later. With rolling codes it would be too difficult to send the correct code sequence I guess?

If what I heard is correct, listening/checking your car locks is advisable.

My next car could have had keyless entry but I'm not sure I'd trust it. How close do you really need to be for someone to unlock it and get the engine going? I assume a couple of feet? But would it work if I left my keys in the office upstairs at the front of the house?
 Can your car be hacked ? - WillDeBeest
I'd imagine standing at the back bumper loading shopping into the boot might be close enough. Keyless entry is engineering by the marketing department - a solution to a problem that most of us simply don't have. The bit that's occasionally awkward is finding a free hand to lift the door handle, and KE is no help at all with that.
 Can your car be hacked ? - BobbyG
I had KE on my Scenic and really got to like it and I would definitely try and get it in my next car.
 Can your car be hacked ? - rtj70
If you have keyless entry on the current Passat B7, you can wave your foot under the back bumper and the boot will open itself.

So how close does one need to be in order for this to work?
 Can your car be hacked ? - BobbyG
>>If you have keyless entry on the current Passat B7, you can wave your foot under the back bumper and the boot will open itself.

So how close does one need to be in order for this to work?


Depends on the length of your leg????

Sorry, couldn't resist :)
 Can your car be hacked ? - Bigtee
Zero, Just transmited on 433 mhz and turn tuning control this rig is set to 12.5 kc spacing so to get these codes it would be difficult but not impossible with this kit.

I suspect the frequency will be something like 433.219.7 nowhere near what most transceivers will tune to.

Saying that when my mate used to live at his old house he could open the garage door of his neighbours house it took them a while to figure it out. ha...
 Can your car be hacked ? - BobbyG
Have you seen that latest Specsavers advert with the kid who is trying to use his remote control car but unknown to him, he has picked up the garage door opener which is opening and shutting the garage door onto daddy's Merc bonnet!
 Can your car be hacked ? - busbee
"How close?"

3 feet for my car. I can test that by holding the key in one hand and pressing the button on the side door or on the boot with the other whilst moving the key closer.

I would have KE every time -- shopping bag in each hand and fishing about for a key compared to pressing a button --- no contest for me.
 Can your car be hacked ? - Zero
Bigtee, as I said, picking it up and transmitting on 432 is a doddle.

But what do you transmit? Its encrypted digital data. You have to create the data - That's the tough bit.
 Can your car be hacked ? - madf
Frequency overloading is the classic way to prevent car door locking... Easily checked as your car should flash its lights when locked or unlocked..

I suspect lots of peops don't check..

 Can your car be hacked ? - rtj70
Most cars will also have an audible locking mechanism when locked or unlocked.

The bit that could fool someone switching vehicles often is how many times the lock button needs to be pressed to deadlock. On the Mazda6 you press it twice. Doing the same on an Insignia would lock and then disable the deadlocks.
 Can your car be hacked ? - Alanovich

>> I suspect lots of peops don't check..

I always do. And in the days before remote locking, I always checked the door was locked by lifting the handle to see if it opened after turning the key. Sometimes, in the days before central locking, I'd check (up to and including) all 4 and the boot.

Borderline OCD I suppose.
 Can your car be hacked ? - Old Navy
>> Saying that when my mate used to live at his old house he could open
>> the garage door of his neighbours house it took them a while to figure it
>> out. ha...
>>

So that's why my garage door opener has a switch for turning off the radio receiver. I always turn it off when on holiday, but wasn't sure why. :-)
Last edited by: Old Navy on Mon 8 Aug 11 at 17:45
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