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Hackers Steal Keyless BMW In Under 3 Minutes

Posted by timothy on from the and-wait-for-the-upgrade dept.

An anonymous reader writes with this bit from ZDNet: "It's cool to have a keyless BMW, until you no longer have a keyless BMW. Hackers have figured out how to break into such cars with ease. BMW has acknowledged there is a problem, but is not doing enough to protect its customers (video)."

15 of 486 comments (clear)

  1. "stealing" by For+a+Free+Internet · · Score: 5, Funny

    It is not "stealing" unless you are a slave to the notion of "property." In the future, everything will belong to me, so this won't be a problem any more. Hi Laura!

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    1. Re:"stealing" by sourcerror · · Score: 5, Funny

      But, but you wouldn't download a car!

  2. Nice to know... by gadget+junkie · · Score: 5, Funny

    that my "old" BMW 3 series has a complicated security mechanism: to open it, you must have access to the ignition lock.

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  3. Whats the difference... by Moheeheeko · · Score: 5, Funny
    ....between a BMW and a porcupine?

    On the porcupine, the pricks are on the outside.

    1. Re:Whats the difference... by spire3661 · · Score: 5, Funny

      85% of all BMW owners Ive met are assholes. Strangely this doesnt apply to Mercedes owners.

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    2. Re:Whats the difference... by deadweight · · Score: 5, Insightful

      As a BMW owner, I can say that it seems 85% of the people who come near me turn into assholes when they see the blue-and-white symbol. Do you REALLY need to play boy racer in your Camaro and pass me on the right, drop back, pass me on the left, get ahead of me, and slam on the brakes when I have 3 little kids and a freaking DOG in the car? Do I look like I want to race you? Do you need to make dumb-ass global warming comments when my car gets better MPG than yours? Do you really need to carry on about the 1%ers ruining everything when my car has 200,000 miles on it?

    3. Re:Whats the difference... by Ogive17 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I just think 85% of people are assholes, no need to categorize them by favorite car brand.

      :)

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    4. Re:Whats the difference... by MachineShedFred · · Score: 5, Informative

      The large amount of software hacking and modifications available for the N54 / N55 engines and the iDrive systems disagree with your "locked" assertion.

      Show me another car where you can get a $500 piggyback module that allows you to change engine performance through the steering wheel controls by hijacking signals on the CANbus, or changing gauge function on the fly: http://www.burgertuning.com/jb4_pnp_BMW_performance_tuner.html

      These engines are a software hacker's dream.

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    5. Re:Whats the difference... by agallagh42 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      And yet, the speed limit in the passing lane is the same as the speed limit in the right lane. If I'm going at least the speed limit, I don't give a fuck which lane I'm in or who is behind me.

      Who said anything about speed limits? If you're not actively passing someone (or in bumper to bumper traffic), you should not be in the passing lane. Period. Doesn't matter how fast or slow you are going.

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    6. Re:Whats the difference... by sdguero · · Score: 5, Interesting

      You gotta love the Prius drivers cruising along at 68 MPH in the fast lane during rush hour with their eyes glued on the MPG meter. Unbelievably annoying. They are the new Volvo (but for MPG instead of safety). Meanwhile people are risking lives to get around them by swerving into the slow lanes and get back up to 75-80 MPH.

    7. Re:Whats the difference... by drinkypoo · · Score: 5, Informative

      And yet, the speed limit in the passing lane is the same as the speed limit in the right lane. If I'm going at least the speed limit, I don't give a fuck which lane I'm in or who is behind me.

      In the state of California, it is illegal to prevent passing by riding in the passing lane when it is possible to merge to the right, regardless of speed.

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  4. Not quite as bad as the Summary seems by DigitalSorceress · · Score: 5, Informative

    I own a MINI with a keyless entry system ... MINI is made by BMW these days, so I was a bit concerned.

    My first vision was "Yikes - someone either grabs my signal out of the air or else they have some 'rainbow box' that tries a bunch of freqs/combos really fast so they can essentially walk up to my car, get in, and go."

    Turns out they have to break your window and connect to your OBD port... This sucks, but to my mind, it's not a whole lot of difference between that and breaking the window then hot-wiring the car. ... If they could just walk up and get in and drive away as if they had the valid key, I'd be a lot more concerned. ... checks insurance policy ... at least I've got theft insurance.

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    The Digital Sorceress
  5. Typical geeks... by gatfirls · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Got the whole OBD hacking figured out but sticking a peice of tape on a camera is a mechanical feat out of their reach.

  6. The basic design flaw: key recovery... by nweaver · · Score: 5, Informative

    The basic design flaw is how key duplication/recovery is handled.

    On my motorcycle (a Concours 14 with keyless ignition), to program a new key you need an existing key. The disadvantage is, naturally, if you lose all your keys, you need to replace the computer!

    But its better than the alternative. On the BMW, all you need to do is plug into the OOBDII port and tell the computer "Here is the new key". This means if you lose all your keys, you don't have to buy a new computer... But it also means that anyone who can break into the car can create a key and drive off.

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  7. Looking at this with a very wrong scale in mind by Prikolist · · Score: 5, Interesting

    A few years there was a great story in Wired about breaking locks. In summary, even the world's most secure locks are not meant to survive more than 10-15 minutes. And it tells the story of a few experts that broke down one of these locks in under a minute. 3 minutes on a car lock? Either the hackers haven't figured out the best way to break in yet or the security is actually amazing. Wired story

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