How secure is the Keyless Entry and Start system?

[SeattleJeremy]

This article about thieves stealing BMW's in the UK makes me worry about the keyless entry and start system in my mom's Prius, and by relation the system in the BRZ Limited.
http://autos.aol.com/article/keyless-bmw-theft/

"[They accessed] the BMW OBD port in the footwell by breaking the glass, reaching in and using a device to reprogram a blank key fob. The car was simply then unlocked and pushed off the drive and driven away."

Keyless vehicles are pretty simple. The owner has a unique key fob that, when recognized by the car, allows the driver to start the engine with the push of a button, instead of the turn of a physical key.

But a keyless vehicle's OBD port, or on-board diagnostics port, can be exploited by thieves. If a thief can access the OBD port by either using a RF jammer or simply breaking a window to get in the car, he can program a blank key fob to be recognized by the vehicle, allowing him to start it and drive off.

Is the Toyota/Subaru system vulnerable to the same tactics the thieves used in this article?

[phillip]

Originally Posted by SeattleJeremy

This article about thieves stealing BMW's in the UK makes me worry about the keyless entry and start system in my mom's Prius, and by relation the system in the BRZ Limited.
http://autos.aol.com/article/keyless-bmw-theft/



Is the Toyota/Subaru system vulnerable to the same tactics the thieves used in this article?

I don't see why not. They just need a unit to program the keys. The BMW thieves get theirs in Bulgaria. Most of the thefts are in Europe though, since there are a lot poorer countries on their eastern side.

Here's the thread that article is based on with a lot of useful tips for keeping your car safe (installing switches, etc)

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=712717

Edit: It's probably still more secure than requiring a key to start the car, since the unit to reprogram keys costs ~$12k US.

[neutron256]

Notice they don't mention anything about cars other than BMWs. It looks like a 3rd party has developed a device for programming BMW keys into the car. This doesn’t exist for most newer cars.

Many cars you need an existing key in order to program a new key, otherwise you have to replace the whole immobilizer.

I also wonder if they were actually programming the keyless start or just keyless entry. Notice how they push the car off in the video rather than just get in and drive it away. I know in Hondas and many other cars these are separate functions that have to be programmed separately even through they're in the same key.

[Draco-REX]

No more or less secure than a car with a remote unlock.. *shrug* There were stories about people using frequency scanners to open cars when those came out.

I have a post around here somewhere about this article. Essentially, these tricks are for geeks. Thieves won't waste their time with this stuff. The serious ones can make off with your car in 30 seconds or less.

Here it is: http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showt...812#post306812

[OrbitalEllipses]

Originally Posted by Draco-REX

The serious ones can make off with your car in 30 seconds or less.

Would you say they'd (the thieves) be Gone in 60 Seconds?

[michaelahess]

Biggest thing to prevent theft with keyless entry....lock your door on the door as you get out. Not the touch sensor or the keyfob, but the actual door lock button.

That way there is nothing to intercept. The code rolls again as soon as it's unlocked so it doesn't matter if someone grabs your unlock signal.

[DarthNads]

Originally Posted by OrbitalEllipses

Would you say they'd (the thieves) be Gone in 60 Seconds?

YYYEEEEEAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

[os86]

with the obd port easily accessible I think it will be targeted. At the end of the day If your is a target there is only very little you can do to protect it. just make sure you have insurance that way you can sleep in peace.

[Muskokan]

Originally Posted by michaelahess

Biggest thing to prevent theft with keyless entry....lock your door on the door as you get out. Not the touch sensor or the keyfob, but the actual door lock button.

That way there is nothing to intercept. The code rolls again as soon as it's unlocked so it doesn't matter if someone grabs your unlock signal.

touch sensor?

[mav1178]

Originally Posted by Muskokan

touch sensor?

The two/three lines on the outside door handle.

With key in pocket, touch it. You'll either lock or unlock the car.

-alex

[Muskokan]

Originally Posted by mav1178

The two/three lines on the outside door handle.

With key in pocket, touch it. You'll either lock or unlock the car.

-alex

Thanks! i was just pulling it once to unlock it, love the little well thought out things about this car. just found the little botton on the trunk that you can hit with the fob in your pocket yesterday too.

[BRZfan]

Don't Worry About It.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfN2eOC1Xhs"]The Room - "Don't worry ..." - YouTube[/ame]

[subx]

There is no reason they couldn't do this with a non-keyless start. Once you have a RFID that disables the immobilizer you can just use the same technic thieves have used forever - a screwdriver. I wouldn't worry too much about it.

Sent from a phone - please ignore any silly mistakes

[DoomsdayJesus]

That was a specific flaw in BMW's security. Not Subaru's. It would be a different ballgame. Not impossible, but realistically, the 1M as an extremely limited run collector car was entirely worth the expense, ours quite simply isn't. I was devastated when I heard the 1M was a one year run, I was dead set on buying one and now they sell above purchase price with miles.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk 4