Keyless Entry Renders Millions Of Cars Vulnerable

Simple handheld scanning device capable of intercepting & cloning keyless entry 

Tens of millions of cars are made vulnerable to theft by their keyless entry systems, according to a report by computer security experts.

The paper claims many of the 100m Volkswagen vehicles sold over the past 20 years are vulnerable and can be hacked using cheap tools. Audi, Seat and Skoda models sold since 1995 are also said to be affected as they share Volkswagen’s remote keyless entry system. Alfa Romeo, Citroen, Fiat, Ford, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Opel, and Peugeot models are also at risk from a similar exploit, the researchers claim.

The three researchers from the University of Birmingham in England and a fourth from security company Kasper and Oswald GmbH in Germany, found models as recent as this year’s Audi Q3 were vulnerable. They said it is conceivable that all VW Group cars, with the exception of some Audis, are thus vulnerable to attacks because they rely on a ‘constant-key’ scheme.

The attack works by “eavesdropping” on the signal sent when a driver presses their key fob to unlock their car. With equipment costing as little as £30 the signal and be cloned and the hacker can then access the car in future. To clone the key’s signal the attack does need to be within 100m of the vehicle.

The report co-author Flavio Garcia said they believe some of the hackable cars are still on the market. He told Reuters: “There are still some VW car models being sold that are not on the latest platform and which remain vulnerable to attack.”

The researchers said the only exceptions were cars built on VW’s latest MQB production platform, which is used in its top selling model, the Golf VII, which the researchers found does not have the flaw.

The VW spokesman Peter Weisheit said that its current Golf, Tiguan, Touran and Passat models are not at risk from the attack, adding: “This current vehicle generation is not afflicted by the problems described.”

The Wolfsburg-based car maker confirmed it has had a constructive exchange with the researchers and that the authors had agreed to withhold details in their report that criminals could use to break into cars.

In 2013, VW obtained a restraining order against a group of researchers that included Garcia to prevent publication of a paper detailing how certain anti-theft car immobilisers were vulnerable to hackers. That research was published in 2015 after the authors agreed with VW to remove a detail that would have allowed thieves to figure out how to carry out an attack.

The authors also describe a second attack that could be used against Hitag2 (HT2) remote keyless entry systems used in older models of other car makers, running on circuits produced by Dutch-American chipmaker NXP.

An NXP spokesman said HT2 chips first introduced in 1998 have been gradually replaced by automakers since 2006 and that the chipmaker has advised them to replace HT2 chips in new cars since security weaknesses were reported in 2009 and 2012.

The reports’ authors said they had focused on mass-market models and did not analyse in detail VW’s luxury brands including Porsche, Bentley, Lamborghini and Bugatti.

The paper is set to be presented at the Usenix security conference in Austin, Texas, in the US recently.

Guardian: http://bit.ly/2bdnNdp

 

« 15 Years After 9/11
Exploring Alternatives: Terrorism Converging With Cyber Crime »

CyberSecurity Jobsite
Perimeter 81

Directory of Suppliers

CSI Consulting Services

CSI Consulting Services

Get Advice From The Experts: * Training * Penetration Testing * Data Governance * GDPR Compliance. Connecting you to the best in the business.

North Infosec Testing (North IT)

North Infosec Testing (North IT)

North IT (North Infosec Testing) are an award-winning provider of web, software, and application penetration testing.

NordLayer

NordLayer

NordLayer is an adaptive network access security solution for modern businesses — from the world’s most trusted cybersecurity brand, Nord Security. 

Syxsense

Syxsense

Syxsense brings together endpoint management and security for greater efficiency and collaboration between IT management and security teams.

Alvacomm

Alvacomm

Alvacomm offers holistic VIP cybersecurity services, providing comprehensive protection against cyber threats. Our solutions include risk assessment, threat detection, incident response.

Certification Europe

Certification Europe

Certification Europe (now Amtivo Ireland) is an accredited certification body which provides ISO management system certification, including ISO 27001.

Backup Systems

Backup Systems

Backup Systems is a leading backup and disaster recovery systems provider across the UK.

Netteam

Netteam

Netteam designs, implements and services networking solutions for companies of all sizes.

Forensic Pathways

Forensic Pathways

Forensic Pathways focus on the provision of digital forensic technologies, offering clients unique technologies in the management of mobile phone data, image analysis and ballistics analysis.

Dermalog Identification Systems

Dermalog Identification Systems

Dermalog Identification Systems is a pioneer in biometry and the largest German manufacturer of biometric devices and systems.

National Cybersecurity Preparedness Consortium (NCPC)

National Cybersecurity Preparedness Consortium (NCPC)

The mission of the NCPC is to provide research-based, cybersecurity-related training, exercises and technical assistance to local jurisdictions, counties, states and the private sector.

Dellfer

Dellfer

Dellfer secures connected cars and other IOT devices through Intrinsic protection, enabling the most sophisticated cybersecurity attacks to be seen instantly and remediated with precision.

Ascend Technologies

Ascend Technologies

Ascend Technologies offers a full suite of managed IT services including: Cloud & Infrastructure Management, Cybersecurity Management, Service Desk Management, Application Management , Data Management

Cybersecurity Center for Secure Evolvable Energy Delivery Systems (SEEDS)

Cybersecurity Center for Secure Evolvable Energy Delivery Systems (SEEDS)

SEEDS conducts research and develops innovative cybersecurity technologies, tools, and methodologies that advance the energy sector’s ability to survive cyber incidents.

Ermetic

Ermetic

Ermetic’s identity-first cloud infrastructure security platform provides holistic, multi-cloud protection in an easy-to-deploy SaaS solution.

Sevco Security

Sevco Security

Sevco Delivers Real-time Asset Intelligence to Identify and Close Unknown Security Gaps.

Com Olho

Com Olho

Com Olho provides the measurement, analytics, quality assurance, and fraud protection technologies brands need for their business and customers.

Dimension Data

Dimension Data

Dimension Data is a leading African born technology provider operating in the Middle East and Africa, offering a portfolio of services including intelligent security solutions.

HP Wolf Security

HP Wolf Security

HP Wolf Security protects your organization and devices from cyberattacks no matter where, when or how you work.

Treacle Technologies

Treacle Technologies

Treacle Technologies are a Cyber Security startup with a focus on Defensive Security.

Hiya

Hiya

Hiya's mission is to secure voice with trust, identity and intelligence. We're protecting people from spam and fraud calls, and helping carriers secure their networks for all.