WASHINGTON — The practice of crooks defeating electronic car systems is evolving.
First, tech-savvy thieves began breaking into vehicles to steal items inside by manipulating car fobs used for keyless entry. Now they’re using laptops to steal the entire car with no key at all.
The laptop car thefts aren’t common yet, according to Carol Kaplan, the director of public affairs for the National Insurance Crime Bureau, but she believes that’s where the trend is going.
“It’s time for our legislators to wake up and insist that manufacturers start doing something to make sure these [car computer] systems can’t be defeated,” Kaplan said.
New layers of security for car computer systems might include, for example, needing a code number unique to individual cars to gain access.
“The first thing we need to do is to get the auto industry and the government together so we can come up with some practical solutions before this situation gets out of hand,” Kaplan warned.
To prevent car theft, Kaplan recommends drivers practice what she calls good old-fashioned basics:
- Use a steering wheel lock such as a club;
- Park in a locked garage if possible;
- Park in a well-lighted area;
- Don’t leave your keys in your car.
Do people still really leave their keys in cars? “Believe it or not, it’s still a big problem,” Kaplan said. “Make it tough for criminals.”
One technique crooks use for keyless vehicle entry involves boosting the signal between a car and a driver’s key fob that might be in a residence nearby.
A number of published reports on that type of hack recommend drivers put keys in a refrigerator or freezer to thwart the signal connection. But Kaplan said that puts electronics in the fob at risk of being damaged by ice crystals.
If you’re concerned about that kind of key hack, Kaplan said a better idea would be to put keys in the microwave oven.
