The Future of Hi-Tech Auto Theft

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

The Future of Hi-Tech Auto Theft

Posted by samzenpus on Thursday January 12, 2012 @07:33AM from the stealing-the-car-of-the-future dept.

NicknamesAreStupid writes "Over the past twenty years, car theft has declined as new models incorporated electronic security methods that thwarted simple hot-wiring. The tide may now be turning, as cars become the next Windows PC. The Center for Automobile Embedded Systems Security has posted an interesting paper from UCSD and UW that describes how modern cars can be cracked (PDF). Unlike the old days of window jimmies, these exploits range from attacks through the CD or iPod port to cellular attacks that take inventory of thousands of cars and offer roaming thieves Yelp-like choices ('our favorite is mint green with leather') with unlocked doors and running engines."

20 of 272 comments (clear)

Min score:

Reason:

Sort:

Yes, by Moheeheeko · 2012-01-12 07:36 · Score: 5, Funny

Yes I would download a car.
what will they do with stolen cars? by alen · 2012-01-12 07:37 · Score: 4, Informative

one of the reasons auto theft declined is police busted and closed chop shops that took and resold the parts. and you can now buy cheap off brand parts for any car as well. not like anyone stole cars back in the day for personal use
1. Re:what will they do with stolen cars? by hedwards · 2012-01-12 07:47 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  That's one, but around here it's increasingly common for cars to be stolen and then returned hours later after having completed a drug run in the stolen vehicle.
  Beyond that bait cars and lojacks as well as other countermeasures make it a lot more likely that car thieves will be caught before they can profit from their crime.
2. Re:what will they do with stolen cars? by AlienSexist · 2012-01-12 07:47 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  My understanding is that there is a very hot market for stolen whole cars in Asia, Mexico, and Central & South America. Driven across the border to Mexico for further distribution, sometimes by ship. Pickup trucks in particular are being taken for this purpose. You're right though. Most often cars are not stolen, only broken into for their contents or disassembled for valuable parts. Catalytic converter thefts have been very high because they contain various mixtures of platinum, palladium, rhodium and prices for those precious metals were very high. Just like there's been a huge rash in national copper thefts.
3. Re:what will they do with stolen cars? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-01-12 07:58 · Score: 5, Interesting
  
  Here in Texas, car theft is up because there is one type of vehicle highly sought after: Larger pickups, SUVs, and 4x4s in general. These are promptly taken to the border to smash through the excuse of a fence and to ferry weapons to Mexico, and narcotics/illegals back to the US. A good diesel 4x4 is prized down there because it can easily outrun police vehicles over the terrain. They also are taken to Mexico to be up-armored.
  The trick I do with keeping the vehicle from being "borrowed" is the classic kill switch. However, I use two. One is for the fuel pump, the other one turns on and off the RFID antenna. This way, someone trying to clone a PATS key might get my key's serial number, but when they try to jam a clone in the vehicle, it will just give them the middle finger.
4. Re:what will they do with stolen cars? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-01-12 08:53 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  Joyriding isn't stealing. At least not in the UK. Theft (aka stealing) requires an intention to permanently deprive, which joyriding lacks. Joyriding is why the offence of taking without consent (aka TWOCing) was introduced.
5. Re:what will they do with stolen cars? by Shakrai · 2012-01-12 09:20 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  That's one, but around here it's increasingly common for cars to be stolen and then returned hours later after having completed a drug run in the stolen vehicle.
  The last time I parked my car in a New York City dirt lot it was returned to me with 30 extra miles on odometer. It was also washed, detailed and had a full tank of gas. I don't want to think about what they did with my car but at least they were polite about it....
  
  --
  I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
  We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
6. Re:what will they do with stolen cars? by GameboyRMH · 2012-01-12 09:59 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  There's a truck in Texas with a kill switch, oh noes!
  
  --
  "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
why is the CD player on the same network? by Trepidity · 2012-01-12 07:39 · Score: 5, Insightful

It's not clear to me why the CD player should even be on the same network as the engine-related microcontrollers.

--
10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
1. Re:why is the CD player on the same network? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-01-12 07:45 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  Sometimes the electronics to control certain parts of the car are in the stereo to keep you from upgrading the stereo. Ford, for example, uses strange oval shapes to keep you from replacing their crappy stereo. Chevrolet in the case of my old Monte Carlo put the door chime and some of the interior light controls in the stereo. The work-around Best Buy did in my car was to move the original stereo to the glove compartment and leave it connected to everything but the speakers. In my wife's Lexus, the car wouldn't even start without the radio. I gave-up on upgrade the stereo in it. Car makers these days go to great lengths to make sure you do not get good sound in your car and buy any upgrades from them.
2. Re:why is the CD player on the same network? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-01-12 08:10 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  You have a great point about Chevrolet. I install stereos for a living, and Corvettes have some very creative protections against replacing the stereos. GM really wants you to have to suffer with the absolutely horrible Bose stock stereo. GM uses non-standard line out voltages in the Corvette so you can't connect the head unit to a real amplifier. Also, they place the amplifiers in the door which doesn't leave you with enough room to put even a tiny Alpine amp in the door even if you ignore the air flow problems. A real amp will fit under the seat but only if you have one of the few Vettes without power seats. In addition they use proprietary thin woofers in the doors which, of course due to physics, sound horrible. The speakers are a weird and complicated size so you have to fabricate mounting brackets. Also the speakers are a nonstandard impedance so you can't drive them with a standard car amp. Even with all of that work, GM decides to take the door and key chimes away from you if you replace the headunit.
  What all of that means is if you want to upgrade or repair any single component, you must replace the entire system.
3. Re:why is the CD player on the same network? by Lumpy · 2012-01-12 08:25 · Score: 5, Interesting
  
  Really? I seem to find it different.
  Just helped a friend with his 2010 Vette 2 months ago, dingy thingy replacements are available at scosche for less than $25.00 so all your chimes are retained. Steering wheel controls are also easily adapted with a $79.00 box.
  speaker upgrades are worthless as the Vette with premium sound that has the amps on the backs of the speakers sound better than any of the aftermarket stuff, speaker placement in the vette is crap anyways, $300 each drivers will not sound any better in that car, but it's easy to do with adapter plates from..... Scosche, that place again.
  as for a "real amp" almost nobody puts in a 10,000 watt Rockford Phosgate anymore. replace the head unit with the new kenwood stanav one, hooked into the existing wiring for the speakers and simply removed the speakers and disconnected the "premium sound" amps.
  All done. Anyone that has done car stereos in the past 2 years knows this, you dont have to " replace the entire system" not by a long shot.
  
  --
  Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
4. Re:why is the CD player on the same network? by BitZtream · 2012-01-12 08:31 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  They aren't 'put in the stereo to intentionally make it harder' as you imply, but when you disconnect the stereo's internal bus, you do fuck up a portion of the cars' network.
  GM really doesn't give a fuck if you put in a different stereo after you bought the car ... YOU ALREADY PAID FOR THE STEREO IN THE CAR.
  Replacing the stereo is also rather trivial, you just need an interface kit that will interface your stereo with the cars data bus. These interface kits are well known (Best buy sells the damn things) and fit pretty much any car on the planet and make it work with any kind of stereo from old school analog systems to fully modernized systems with blutooth phone audio relays and text output to the display.
  Its not the car makers that don't know what they are doing in your case, its you and best buy.
  
  --
  Persistent Volume manager for Kubernetes - https://github.com/dwimsey/openshift-pvmanager
5. Re:why is the CD player on the same network? by BitZtream · 2012-01-12 08:35 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  Wow, you are one of the worst 'stereo installers' I have ever fucking met.
  You do realize there is an interface kit for every GM vehicle on the planet that will make it 'normal' or 'industry standard', right? Give you standard line outs, standard speaker outs, will still make sure that you get all your interface sounds piped through your speakers like door chimes and warning bells, blinker clicks, ect ...
  Whats great is you're talking about them using weird speakers shapes in places where ... NORMAL SHAPES WON'T FIT.
  What all of this means is that you don't actually know what you're talking about.
  GM only has 2 or 3 interface busses for the dash electronics in their cars and there are interfaces for all of them. Get a clue about your job.
  
  --
  Persistent Volume manager for Kubernetes - https://github.com/dwimsey/openshift-pvmanager
6. Re:why is the CD player on the same network? by garyebickford · 2012-01-12 08:36 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  To entertain the arm candy.
  
  --
  It's easier to be a result of the past, but more fun to be a cause of the future! http://www.spacefinancegroup.com/
yo. by grub · 2012-01-12 07:40 · Score: 4, Funny

So the other day I was on the bus and I saw this hot woman driving a car. I pulled out the iPhone, SSH'd into home and ran nmap on her license plate.

LOL, stupid woman didn't notice her gas cap was left off from the last fill but nmap caught it. Used nc to push 'fire.jpg' into her tank and she blew up.

True story, fucker.

--
Trolling is a art,
Re:Windows PC? by kiwimate · 2012-01-12 07:45 · Score: 4, Insightful

It's a stupid flamebait analogy. The summary goes like this
* Windows PCs are as secure as a piece of tissue paper (LOL, for teh win!)
* Cars with their increasingly computerized systems are now becoming vulnerable to hacking.
* Windows PCs are vulnerable to hacking.
I don't quite get it by kav2k · 2012-01-12 07:45 · Score: 5, Funny

We need a car analogy here.
Re:Wrong demographic by DMUTPeregrine · 2012-01-12 07:50 · Score: 5, Insightful

I think you're (somewhat) wrong. Initially it won't mean much, but just like pre-packaged malware suites for credit card fraud (ZeuS being the biggest example) point-and-drool interfaces for car theft will be made eventually.

--
Not a sentence!
Re:Wrong demographic by phoenix321 · 2012-01-12 09:38 · Score: 4, Interesting

Remember Stuxnet.
Covert assasination anyone?
Implant a well-disguised piece of trojan code inside an ECU of opportunity.
Have it triggered at a specific speed, at local nighttime. Disable brakes, lights, airbags and stomp on the accelerator. If any crash is detected, quickly recover the firmware to an original, untampered backup that was stored away somewhere beforehand.
Crash investigators will find nothing but "reckless speeding" to be the cause.