WASHINGTON—Credit union employees driving keyless entry cars should be wary about carrying sensitive credit union data inside their vehicles, such as company laptops, as hackers are focusing on these cars to gain easy access.
The FBI and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have issued a warning to consumers and manufacturers related to how criminals are gaining access into their parked cars and committing “snatch and grab” crimes using devices that simulate keyless entry systems. Keyless entry systems typically unlock car doors without requiring the pushing of any buttons when owners are close to their vehicles.
“The FBI and NHTSA are warning the general public and manufacturers—of vehicles, vehicle components, and aftermarket devices—to maintain awareness of potential issues and cybersecurity threats related to connected vehicle technologies in modern vehicles,” the warning states. “It is important that consumers take appropriate steps to minimize risk.”
The notice clearly demonstrates there is a level of activity around car hacking that should have everyone concerned, ThirdCertainty stated in a report. “Drive down the highway sometime (as a passenger) and use your smartphone to see all the cars around you sending out Bluetooth connections, and you’ll get an idea about how linked our vehicles have become.”
Meanwhile, consumers continue to report mysterious car break-ins with no signs of forced entry, in situations where they insist their car doors were locked. In Baltimore, a string of crimes meeting that description frustrated local residents earlier this year.
The reports follow stories about key fob break-ins that began with a CNN report two years ago, followed more recently by vague warnings from the London Police and a notice from the National Insurance Crime Bureau, ThirdCertainty stated.
“The keyless entry feature on newer cars is a popular advancement that lets drivers unlock their cars with the simple click of a button on a key fob using radio frequency transmission,” the NICB notice says. “Thieves have found a way to partially outwit the new technology using electronic ‘scanner boxes.’ These small, handheld devices can pop some factory-made electronic locks in seconds, allowing thieves to get into the vehicle and steal personal items left inside.”