We all are looking for ways to make things easier and the keyless entry technology in the automotive industry was a blessing. Picture how awesome it can be to just press a small button and your car door opens without having to enter and turn a key. This gets rid of any chance of the criminals forging a key and gaining entry. On the other hand, the technology creates a whole different generation of criminals; hackers! Just like these cyber criminals have managed to hack into computer systems, the keyless car entry that uses similar technology can easily be manipulated and misused.
Keyless entry system
Image source: blogs.cars.com
The keyless entry technology does more than just allow you to remotely unlock doors. You can also activate your car’s alarm or start the engine without turning a key. At a glance, this technology is the best thing to happen to the modern automotive industry but as convenient as the devices may be, they come with their own fair share of problems and loop holes that can easily compromise your car’s security.
Who wouldn’t want to just walk towards their car, unlock doors, deactivate the alarm and start the engine, its pretty cool, right? We all can agree on that, but when the very awesome style you want to show off is the reason why your car’s security can be compromised, you have to think twice, or thrice, and look at the underlying factors that increase the risks and how best to solve the problem before you are a robbery victim.
Since this modern technology is software based, most of the problems are directly related to issues revolving around programming. Think of a TV’s universal remote control that can be programmed to communicate with any set as long as the settings are right. This is how crime comes in when the keyless car entry technology is involved. The device is programmed to only work with your unique auto and a number of codes are involved to make it that unique but can be manipulated to work on another vehicle.
Most of the devices use a technology known as KeeLog which is used to generate more than 18 billion codes used in programming to ensure that the device only communicates with your car. Unfortunately, hackers are increasingly becoming more knowledgeable on these codes. The increase in wireless devices use has given rise to a set of new generation hackers that can easily gain entry into your car, start the engine and drive away. The fact that the press of a button can trigger the audible alarm to assist in locating a vehicle makes it easy for hackers to locate a vehicle they can steal even in a large, crowded parking lot.
Keyless entry makes stealing so easy
Image source: thecarconnection.com
To solve or reduce auto theft involving cars installed with keyless entry technology, it is important that the system has an improved modulation under noise, encrypted communication containing random seed, and mutual authentication. With a few adjustments, the system can be what it is supposed to be, a new stylish way to access vehicles than is not only awesome, but highly secure.
