Keyless entry systems, which allow drivers to unlock and start their vehicles without a physical key, have become a common feature in many new cars and can also be added as an upgrade. While this technology is convenient for drivers, it has also made it easier for thieves to steal vehicles. Using advanced hacking techniques, thieves can gain access to a car’s computer system and drive the vehicle away without ever having to possess the owner’s key fob. As a result, it is important for car owners to take precautions to protect their vehicles from theft.
In order to keep your key fobs from getting hacked, keep them away from parts of the house that are within a close range of your car, such as near your front door or garage. For more information on how to prevent key fob hacks, read this article.
What is signal boosting? Unlike signal boosting important information on social media, the “boost” in this context means stealing a signal. Hackers can use a device that tricks the car and your key fob into thinking they’re within proximity of each other, then emit the fob’s unlock signal without touching any buttons on the fob or car.
Signal boosting is normally used to unlock a car, but a similar tactic can turn on vehicles with keyless ignitions, too. There are also other remote key fob hacks, such as rolljamming, that record and spoof your key fob’s unlock signal, though they’re much harder to pull off. But all that someone needs to perform a signal boost is about $20 of equipment.
How to stop thieves from signal boosting your car fob? So how do you prevent a signal boost attack? It’s not like you can activate two-factor sign-ins or install anti-malware on your key fob. The solution is actually pretty simple: block signals from reaching your key fob.
There are several ways to do this, but a Faraday bag is the most reliable. These bags create an electro-magnetic barrier that stops any signals from getting in or out of the bag, just like the “Faraday cages” the bags are named after.
You can buy inexpensive Faraday bags, boxes, and wallets online. Just put your keys (or other wireless devices you want to sequester) in the bag while you’re home, especially at night.
If you don’t have a Faraday bag, putting your keys in a thick metal object—like a refrigerator or a safe, for instance—would be better than leaving them out in the open, but we can’t promise it will block a hacker’s signal boosting as effectively as a Faraday bag. At the very least, keep your keys at the other end of your house while you’re at home. The further away your keys are from your car, and the more walls and other obstacles there are between them, the harder it will be for the signals to reach.
Couple a Faraday bag with other anti-theft measures like a steering wheel claw and security cameras, and the chances of someone breaking in and potentially stealing your car become much lower. Oh, and don’t keep spare keys, fobs, garage door remotes, or other valuables in your car. That way, if someone still manages to get in (windows are breakable, after all), they won’t find much to steal.
