5 Ways To Prevent Your Vehicle From Being Hacked

According to a BBC report, a large portion of the 100 million Volkswagen vehicles sold between 1997 and 2016 can be unlocked remotely by hackers. According to the article, a simple home made radio whose overall cost is about $60 is all a hacker needs to spy on key FOB signals and use them to clone digital keys that unlock vehicles. The problem: millions of vehicles using the same cryptographic key! The findings were reported in an academic paper out of the University of Birmingham, whose researchers made the following shocking claim:

"We were kind of shocked," Timo Kasper at Kasper & Oswald told the BBC. "Millions of keys using the same secrets - from a cryptography point of view, that's a catastrophe."

Volkswagen vehicles are not the only ones to be vulnerable to such a hack--any car that has a keyless entry is vulnerable. 

But there is another area of vulnerability, namely vehicles that rely on extensive computer systems. In one report, hackers were able to deactivate the breaks of a Jeep while it was in motion. With the rise of computer systems in cars comes the rise of security complexity and vulnerability. Will Knight of MIT Tech Review makes this observation: 

Unsurprisingly, carmakers have begun taking computer security a lot more seriously, but they have been blindsided by the speed of technological change within the industry, and especially by how the addition of connectivity has opened cars up to attack. At the same time, they are rapidly adding new functionality that will require extra security scrutiny.

So how do you protect our vehicle from being hacked? Here are a 5 tips:

1. Drive a simpler vehicle: Ironically, this suggestion comes from Fortune Magazine. With luxury vehicles like Tesla and BMW comes more computers and thus more vulnerabilities. In fairness, Tesla is one of the most sophisticated companies that rewards 'white hat hackers' for discovering vulnerabilities. 

2. Avoid expensive vehicles: This again comes from Fortune. An expensive vehicle obviously holds out a greater incentive for hackers. 

3. Don't use your keyless remote for entry: This is an easy fix. To lock your vehicle, simply use the central door lock button. It's fine to use the keyless entry to get back into your vehicle because you'll be driving away from the area in which your signals are being trolled. 

4. Use the original Club: Old world deterrent for the new world--the original Club 1000! Put it on your steering wheel, and motivate the hacker to move on to a more vulnerable vehicle. 

5. Keep your keys safe: It's easy for a thief to steal your vehicle when you're keys are sitting out in plain view at the cafe, or left in the vehicle itself. It's a simple counter-hack, but it's effective.

The more our vehicles become computerized, the more vulnerable they will be to hackers. While you still can, it might be best to forego the purchase of a modern computerized car and buy something more vintage.