NY Times Columnist Says Thieves Used Signal Repeater to Break Into His Car
If you’ve got a late-model car that uses a wireless key fob to automatically unlock the doors when you get close, you might want to start putting your keys in your freezer.
That’s exactly what New York Times Columnist Nick Bilton has started doing in an attempt to keep criminals from repeatedly breaking into his Toyota Prius as it sits parked in his driveway.
According to his recounting of the event posted on the Times’s website and as reported by Ars Technica, Bilton said he believes that thieves are gaining access to several vehicles in his Los Angeles neighborhood by using small electronic repeaters that amplify the signal between a car and its key fob.
Key fobs on today’s cars essentially talk to your car whenever you approach it. If the key fob matches your particular car, the vehicle will automatically open its locks. But the key fob and the car have to be in close proximity to each other to work.
For his article, Bilton spoke with Boris Danev, a security researcher who says it is possible for criminals to use signal amplifiers to increase the range at which a key fob and car can talk to each other.
That, Bilton writes, would explain how people have been able to break into his car while it was locked and his keys were in his house, without smashing the vehicle’s windows or using a slim jim to pop the locks.
As Bilton points out, reports of criminals breaking into vehicles using electronic devices aren’t exactly isolated. Earlier this month, the Toronto Police released a warning about an increase in Toyota and Lexus SUV thefts from victims’ driveways.
According to the release, police believe the suspects are using some kind of electronic device to gain access to the vehicles without damaging them.
Last year, Forbes covered a report by the National Insurance Crime Bureau that pointed to thieves using electronic boxes that can determine a vehicle’s lock codes, giving thieves the ability to hop in and steal whatever they want.
And Ars Technica previously reported on a similar situation in Long Beach, Calif., in which thieves were caught on video using a small electronic device to quickly gain access to parked cars.
As for why Bilton puts his keys in the freezer, the columnist says it acts as a Faraday cage that blocks wireless signals from getting in or out.
The problem for Bilton and car owners in his area is that police have yet to find any suspects with the mystery devices. So, unfortunately, until they are able to figure out exactly how these cars are being broken into, the best bet for residents is to not leave belongings in their vehicles.
Also, putting your keys in the freezer takes up valuable space that would otherwise be occupied by Hot Pockets.
Email Daniel Howley at dhowley@yahoo-inc.com; follow him on Twitter at @DanielHowley or on Google+.
