NBC Nightly News reported on a “mysterious device being used to break into cars without even touching them.” The device works by “cloning the signal of [a victim’s] car’s key fob,” permitting criminals to open car doors and start cars. NBC added, “The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers [tells] NBC News, automakers have been working on multiple fronts to address security and enhance it, calling it a top priority.”
USA Today says the “so-called Relay Attack device demonstrates how thieves in certain instances have recently stolen vehicles that were supposed to be extremely difficult to swipe.” USA Today adds that the device “suggests the auto industry is entering a perilous new frontier in which tech-savvy criminals can bypass the keyless theft-prevention countermeasures installed on certain recent models.” The National Insurance Crime Bureau “said it tested the device on used cars” in various situations, and the device opened the car’s door in 19 out of 35 tests, and “in 18 of those 19 entries, it was also able to start the vehicle and drive away.”
From the news release of the American Association for Justice.
