Thread: Theft of vehicles with keyless ignition

Originally Posted by BBS Guy

Hiya all

The security loop hole that allows the quick and easy theft of vehicles with Keyless ignition is a subject that I happen to have taken a very keen interest in since mid 2012 when reports of a sharp rise in such equipped BMW thefts became public knowledge.

https://www.google.com/search?q=BMW+...Easy+BMW+theft

In the face of overwhelming publicity, BMW had to admit the problem with a promise to sort it, which actually they cannot IMHO, and other vehicle manufacturers denied their vehicles had the same security problem, even although the reality is that by simple logic alone, they all do. Nothing new there then

The fact that this all started so long ago and due to an inability for manufacturers to combat this, and that this has now indeed exploded into other brands like LR kinda proves my point.

The simple facts that hopefully anyone can appreciate are this:

Vehicle manufacturers must either produce a vehicle that if all Key fobs are lost is scrap, or must have a way to learn a new Key to it without an existing key being present. Of course all opt for the latter.

EU legislation dictates that the Diagnostic equipment that vehicle manufacturers supply to their dealers (In Land Rovers Case this is the SDD) can also be purchased by absolutely anyone.

Hence in 2011 I used my own SDD to program a new Key bought of EBAY to our 2011 Range Rover Sport test rig which we had no Key for and have since done the same on other vehicles.

If someone has access to origional manufacturers diagnostic equipment, it is of course relatively easy to then produce alternate equipment that does this task.

The reason manufacturers are unable to solve this problem themselves is that although they may change the software that communicates with their Keyless vehicle Module (KVM) to do key learning, akin to changing the combination number to a lock, along with any change they make, they are forced to also supply the new combination number too that can be overcome with a simple software upgrade.
That is why, although LR knew of this problem years ago, even week old vehicles are still easy targets

And that is why, some time ago we developed our pretty ingenious CAN-LOCK device which rufusking mentions. the CAN-LOCK is specifically designed to combat this high tech problem with a high tech solution.

The CAN-LOCK is small enough to easily be secreted almost anywhere in the vehicle and is tapped into the Vehicles CAN BUS.

It constantly monitors absolutely all CAN BUS communication traffic and can easily identify any attempt by any equipment to communicate diagnostically with the vehicles KVM module which it then actively blocks.

It is so effective that it quite literally makes the KVM module diagnostically dissapear to any and all equipment, be it LR's own, ours or any other that trys to communicate with it, making it utterly impossible to even read fault codes from the KVM module, let alone learn a New Key.

The CAN-LOCK does not interfere with the normal operation of keyless entry or ignition in any way. It is totally transparent

In fact I have had one fitted to my own Keyless Vehicle for almost 2 years now without any negative effect or problem.

Hi Colin.

One question.

What happens when you take a car fitted with the Can-Lock into a LR dealer for service. Wouldn't they need this sort of access? Also, will this jeopardise the warranty?

Martin

Surely this problem only exists if you have a proximity type locking system on your vehicle, by that I mean you just have to be near the car and it unlocks itself automatically, you do not have to press the button on the key fob, the same sort of way sitting inside the D4 allows you to start it! I cannot understand how a signal booster would unlock my D4 without me pressing the button. Can someone explain that to me or am I missing something obvious.