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Car Thieves Arrested After Using Laptop and Malware To Steal More Than 30 Jeeps (abc13.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the modern-day-hot-wiring dept.

New submitter altnuc writes: Two thieves in Houston stole more than 30 Jeeps by using a laptop and a stolen database. The thieves simply looked up the vehicles' VIN numbers in a stolen database, reprogramed a generic key fob, started the cars, and drove away. Chrysler has confirmed that more than 100 of their vehicles have been stolen in the Houston area since November. Chrysler/Jeep owners should always make sure their vehicles are locked! The Wall Street Journal issued a report in July with more details about how hackers are able to steal cars with a laptop. The whole process takes roughly 6 minutes. CrimeStopHouston has posted a video on YouTube of one of the thieves in action.

10 of 215 comments (clear)

  1. Why lock the car? by Snotnose · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The thieves simply looked up the vehicles' VIN numbers in a stolen database, reprogramed a generic key fob, started the cars, and drove away. Chrysler has confirmed that more than 100 of their vehicles have been stolen in the Houston area since November. Chrysler/Jeep owners should always make sure their vehicles are locked!

    They're duplicating the key fob. If it's good enough to start the car it's good enough to unlock the damned thing.
    Even better, the VIN is easily readable from outside the car. This whole thing smacks of TSA level security. That is, look like you're doing something while creating a bottleneck, when in reality all you're doing is creating a bottleneck.

    1. Re:Why lock the car? by flyingfsck · · Score: 4, Funny

      A chain also has other uses, apart from properly securing the steering wheel to the seat of a car. I once chased off five youths with it. The improbable sight of a big bearded guy in a black leather jacket getting out of his car with a heavy chain in his hand, made them change their minds very swiftly.

      --
      Excuse me, but please get off my Pennisetum Clandestinum, eh!
    2. Re:Why lock the car? by lucm · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Old shit cars get stolen all the time. Not because the thieves wil get a fortune out of it or because they're on special order from foreign billionaires. They get stolen because they're easy to steal and/or can be useful in the commission of other crimes.

      There's this guy who specializes in insurance scams. Lets say you're stuck with a lease on a Prius that you'd love to get rid of, and you just can't find a moron to take it. For $250 that guy will steal an old Pontiac Sunbird or some other piece of garbage, and will ram it in your Prius in a way that ensures it's totaled. Problem solved. If there's two Sunbirds side by side, and one of them has a club, guess which one he's going to steal.

      --
      lucm, indeed.
  2. How will locking the car help? by Streetlight · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I'm not sure locking the car will make any difference. My guess is they can hack into the electronic ignition they can hack into the electronic door locks as well.

    --
    In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act. George Orwell
  3. Re: To secure your car... by flyingfsck · · Score: 4, Funny

    You may be onto something. If you fill the car with junk so it looks like a homeless den, then it probably won't get stolen either.

    --
    Excuse me, but please get off my Pennisetum Clandestinum, eh!
  4. Re:I'm not a car guy by flyingfsck · · Score: 5, Funny

    When key broke, it took the dealer a week to update their Windows PC, get the proper software and program a new key, so I guess a thief could really do it in about 5 seconds...

    --
    Excuse me, but please get off my Pennisetum Clandestinum, eh!
  5. Re:Smart key for ignition, not access. by the_Bionic_lemming · · Score: 5, Informative

    My mom's 2015 jeep cherokee latitude doesn't have key locks.

    If you have the fob, you can just open the door.

    and before you accuse me of living in a basement, make sure to note my account number.

    Two extra things that suck about her jeep? 9 recalls to update the transmission software, and the third party radio won't let her get the latest maps for the gps - and it's the second radio.

    Stay away from Jeep tech, it's crappy and buggy.

    --
    _ _ _ Go for the eyes Boo! GO FOR THE EYES!
  6. Re:What good does locking the door do? by Solandri · · Score: 4, Insightful
    If you watch the video, the procedure is to:
    • Open the door and get in (either the car is unlocked, or they break in triggering the alarm).
    • Plug the laptop into the OBD port. Command the alarm to turn off (if it was triggered).
    • Reprogram the car to accept a new keyfob.
    • Once that's done, the car recognizes your keyfob as its owner, and allows you to start the car and drive off.

    So the new keyfob can't be paired until after the thief is inside the vehicle.

    There're a lot of ways the manufacturer could've made this harder. But I've been arguing for two decades now that there should be a physical jumper or toggle switch on computers which you should have to flip in order to be able to change files in the system folder/partition. With it flipped to the default state, system files should be read-only (write logfiles somewhere else). That hasn't happened yet and systems are still getting rooted left and right, so I really don't think computer folks have much grounds for criticism.

  7. Re:Smart key for ignition, not access. by flyingfsck · · Score: 4, Funny

    Oh, I thought you'll just program a key fob for another Jeep...

    --
    Excuse me, but please get off my Pennisetum Clandestinum, eh!
  8. Re: To secure your car... by TimeTraveler1884 · · Score: 5, Funny

    WTF did I just read?

    You wouldn't understand. It's a Jeep thing.