Keyless Entry Car Thefts Soar As Hackers Don’t Need Skills, Just Cheap Devices

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Rates of car thefts have been on the rise over the last decade or so, and one of the primary reasons may be a simple device that enables thieves, without any particular technical expertise, to exploit security vulnerabilities in keyless entry systems, which automakers have been aware of for over a decade

In recent years, we’ve seen more and more footage of vehicles being broken into with seemingly little effort. Using devices that are traded online for a few thousand dollars, people who have no background in hacking or coding can now gain entry to a car and drive off with it in as little as 20 seconds.

These devices, often disguised as handheld game consoles, are known as ’emulators’, reports The Guardian. They operate by intercepting the signal emitted by the car, which searches for the presence of a genuine key, and then transmits a signal to gain entry to the vehicle.

Surprisingly, a significant number of Hyundai owners in Britain seem to have fallen prey to these sophisticated yet relatively affordable gadgets. And mind you, it;s not the Korean carmaker’s older models, with key-based ignition systems vulnerable to the notorious Kia Boys theft technique that has plagued the US, but rather the new Ioniq 5 EV.

Read: Car Thieves Use Headlight Wire Hack To Steal Vehicles

That’s precisely what happened to Steve Jessop, a resident of the U.K., whose Hyundai Ioniq 5 was stolen from outside his house in a matter of seconds, as he shared with The Guardian. And he’s not alone; a quick online search reveals more similar cases, as evidenced by the video we found above from another Ioniq 5 owner in London, who shared security camera footage of the theft on YouTube.

According to the newspaper, many owners of the Korean EV are now employing steering locks to keep thieves at bay. However, an investigation by The Observer found that other models from brands such as Toyota, Lexus, and Kia have also fallen victim to the same issue.

While the ease with which the thief drove away with his new EV was alarming, the truly astonishing aspect is that automakers have been aware of this potential vulnerability for over a decade.

In 2011, a report from the University of California and the University of Washington shined a light on the security vulnerabilities of contemporary cars. Although key fobs have been around for decades, they said that modern “smart keys” that unlock a vehicle as the owner approaches and allow it to be started with the press of a button have offered criminals new security loopholes to enter through.

However, the view among some automakers at that time was that car thieves weren’t sophisticated enough to exploit those vulnerabilities. These days, they don’t have to be. Thanks to the devices mentioned above, among other hacks, some vehicles open themselves up to criminals surprisingly easily.

“There is a strong legal argument to say these cars are insecure and not fit for purpose,” said Nick Freeman, a lawyer in the UK. “The motoring industry has been negligent. It has failed to prioritize security and motorists are paying the price.”

In England and Wales, the number of car thefts has risen from around 70,000 in 2014 to around 130,000 in 2023. Meanwhile, in the U.S., the Insurance Information Institute reports that car thefts rose by 25 percent between 2019 and 2022.

Although that’s down to a number of factors, UK insurer Aviva recently reported that the owners of vehicles with modern keyless entry systems are twice as likely to report a car theft than those without. The London Metropolitan Police identified the Kia Niro and the Hyundai Ioniq as vehicles that are particularly vulnerable to new theft devices, though the problem is not unique to the Korean brands.

“We are aware of a small number of Ioniq 5 thefts. This is an industry-wide issue,” Hyundai Motor UK told The Guardian. “The criminals appear to be using devices to illegally override smart key locking systems. Hyundai is working closely with law enforcement in the UK. To date, we have helped to recover around 75% of vehicles.”

On their part, automakers place the blame rising thefts on organized crime. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, an industry lobbying group in the UK, claimed that the fault was not down to an error in vehicle design, however it did say that the industry is working to reduce thefts, and described it as being in an “arms race” with criminals.