- Jun 9, 2013
- 6,720
Researchers at the University of Luxembourg have teamed up with Honda to find a solution to vulnerabilities in passive key fob entry systems which have led to an increase in car thefts.
Two IT experts at the uni’s Interdisciplinary Centre for Security, Reliability and Trust (SnT) will be working to improve the security of the tech, which unlocks the vehicle when the user gets within range and locks it when they walk away.
Such systems have been exposed to so-called 'relay attacks' for years. Thanks to kit readily available on the darknet, thieves are able to capture the car-owner’s key signal, amplify it and send it to a vehicle-side relay box, allowing them to unlock and drive away vehicles.
Read More. Luxembourg Uni Researchers Join Honda to Overcome Car Key Fob Attacks
Such attacks are becoming increasingly common across the globe, prompting a December 2016 warning from the US National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB).
Automobile associations such as the German ADAC have also developed customer awareness campaigns around the attacks.
It warned that car thieves could carry out a relay attack even with the key fob sitting inside a user’s house. It claimed the components to carry out such an attack could be bought online for as little as €100.
Two IT experts at the uni’s Interdisciplinary Centre for Security, Reliability and Trust (SnT) will be working to improve the security of the tech, which unlocks the vehicle when the user gets within range and locks it when they walk away.
Such systems have been exposed to so-called 'relay attacks' for years. Thanks to kit readily available on the darknet, thieves are able to capture the car-owner’s key signal, amplify it and send it to a vehicle-side relay box, allowing them to unlock and drive away vehicles.
Read More. Luxembourg Uni Researchers Join Honda to Overcome Car Key Fob Attacks
Such attacks are becoming increasingly common across the globe, prompting a December 2016 warning from the US National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB).
Automobile associations such as the German ADAC have also developed customer awareness campaigns around the attacks.
It warned that car thieves could carry out a relay attack even with the key fob sitting inside a user’s house. It claimed the components to carry out such an attack could be bought online for as little as €100.
