Came across this article that I found interesting. wanted to post it and clue people in to a potential new vehicle security threat. Oh the age we live in...


Thieves Are Using “Mystery Gadgets” To Electronically Unlock Cars And Steal What Is Inside

By Michael Snyder, on January 1st, 2014


All over America, criminals are using improvised electronic devices to electronically unlock vehicles and steal whatever they find inside. These “mystery gadgets” reportedly recreate the same signals that the key fobs that so many of us carry around send out. As you will see below, footage is popping up nationwide of thieves using these “mystery gadgets” to remotely unlock car doors and disable alarm systems. Once a car has been unlocked, it takes these thieves just a few moments to take what they want before leaving without a trace. This is now happening all over the country, and authorities do not know any way to prevent it from happening. For now, the most common piece of advice that police are giving to people is to not leave any valuables inside your vehicle at all.

When reports of this sort of crime first came out, even car manufacturers were totally stumped. Nobody could figure out how this was happening, and CNN startled a lot of people when they started reporting on this. The following is an excerpt from one of those reports…


Police across the country are stumped by a rash of car thefts. In surveillance video of the thefts, criminals appear to open locked cars with a mysterious handheld device.

Nobody, not even the car manufacturers, knows how it works.

In Long Beach, Calif. The man walked up to the car, and used a small box to open it. Right next to him another man, also using a box, opens that car.

The problem is they’re thieves without keys. Now they’ve swiped all valuables from the cars.

In Chicago, it was the exact same scenario. A man by a sedan unlocked it without a key. The alarm was disabled by some mystery device.

Video of the entire CNN report is posted below…



Did you know that this was happening?

I certainly didn’t.

But it has apparently been going on all over the country.

For example, similar reports of “high-tech wireless thievery” have also been reported in New Jersey…


Police in Galloway Township, New Jersey are looking for the thieves who’ve been breaking into cars.

It’s happened about 30 times throughout the township, and this isn’t a matter of a bandit busting a window. This is high-tech wireless thievery.

In those cases, police believe that a device similar to the ones that CNN was describing was being used…


“These thieves are using some sort of RF [radio frequency] device, which is sending an electronic signal toward the vehicles, unlocking the vehicle and disabling the alarm as well, allowing the thieves to enter the vehicle and remove valuables without being detected,” said Detective Ryan Goehringer.

And check out what happened up in Canada just a few days ago…


Vicky Mackie and her friend are both certain she locked the doors of her 2013 Volkswagen Tiguan before going to a friend’s apartment.

“She confirmed that she heard me lock my door; we actually heard the alarm beep to confirm that,” said the Vancouver woman.

They were only gone for a couple of hours, but when they returned Mackie discovered that her car had been broken into – her phone and sunglasses missing, the papers in the front glove compartment scattered on the floor – in spite of there being no signs of forced entry.

Once again, police believe that a high tech “gadget” was involved. In fact, there are some that believe that one of these gadgets can be purchased online for as little as 5 dollars…


All indications point to a new device in the growing high-tech arsenal of car thieves, one that mimics a car’s keyless entry system, illegally unlocking any door with the push of a button. The gadget can reportedly be purchased online for as little as $5.

And this could only just be the beginning of a major high tech crime wave.

Thanks to all of the “technology” that is in our vehicles these days, they are potentially more vulnerable to hackers than ever.

According to ABC News, researchers have found that hacking into onboard computers and remotely controlling vehicle behavior is not that hard to do…


The possibility of this even stranger and more dangerous crime is lurking on the horizon. Most modern cars use computers to control everything from engine compression to cruise control, airbags and brakes. Those computers communicate with each other on open networks. Using an $80,000 grant from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), two researchers recently hacked the onboard computers of a Toyota Prius and a Ford Escape SUV.

They made the Prius accelerate and brake, as well as jerk the wheel while traveling at high speeds. They managed to turn the Ford’s steering wheel at low speeds and disable the brakes, which caused researcher Charlie Miller to drive the SUV into his garage and totally destroy his own lawnmower. This is the stuff of nightmares.

So could this kind of hacking have been involved in some of the very unusual “car accidents” that we have seen in recent years?

I am just asking the question.

Most people assume that all of this high technology that surrounds us these days is making us a lot safer.

But that is not really the case at all.

As technology advances, so do the criminals. And if we are not aware of our vulnerabilities, we potentially become easy prey for those that would like to take advantage of us.

Have you heard of these kinds of crimes happening in your own neck of the woods?

LINK TO ACTUAL ARTICLE BELOW:

Thieves Are Using “Mystery Gadgets” To Electronically Unlock Cars And Steal What Is Inside

 

EeeeK!
Great Post Greg!

I guess from now on... Don't leave any valuables in your vehicle ...Lets hope they figure this out and theft proof your computer in your cars electronics...WOW!

 

Luckily I think the theifs in my neighboorhood are still using the coat hanger tricks and if this happens my subs are a two man lift job. Still makes me weary to leave my car anywhere I'm not.

 

Even before this high tech thieving (unlocking your car electronically), it's a good practice to not leave valuables in a car or easily seen in the car. Don't give people a reason to want to break into your car.

 

A hidden battery shut-off switch works wonders against this type of vehicle entry.

 

I feel like someone is more likely to try and drill your locks and with the battery off your alarm won't sound.

 

If you kill power to the entire vehicle their (electronic) break-in device is useless. If you leave the alarm active they can get into your car by tricking it into thinking the signal is coming from your FOB. This will disable the alarm and unlock the door(s).


As Jason mentioned, the best defense against break-in is to not leave anything of value visible.

 

And turn my subs off a few miles before I get home! Haha

 

When you begin talking about killing the battery to stop electronic use, drilling locks without a siren, or many other scenarios, it's a game of weighing the odds.

Such as:
- How many people actually pay attention to car alarms and why it's going off? Next to no one these days.
- What are the odds of a thief in your location using the key fob electronics against you? Probably not too many (but the risk is there).

Years ago, I had my car broke into when I was at work. It happened at the cheap parking lot I was using (and continued to use). Many people felt I should have changed where I parked, problem is, very few of those parking locations had security previsions.
In the end, I had nothing of value to steal but an after market CD player in the dash (took that, the owners manual to the player that was in the glove box, but never popped the trunk to get the 10 disc changer). I parked in the same lot, but I parked in a less "concealed" location. I parked where too many people might see something going on (I never expected anyone who might see a car break in to do anything, instead, I was playing odds of would someone want to break into a car that they might be seen by someone doing it).

There are lots of situations out there. You can only do so much with in reason to protect yourself and your stuff without being overly paranoid.

 

LOL...there you go! And don't plaster your windows with a shopping list of the parts you have on your car for the thief.