BMW is having problems with their keyless go systems.
In the past few weeks, thieves took advantage of a security hole in the remote control keys and stole the cars with little effort.
The Bavarian premium manufacturer
BMW
has been targeted by gangs of thieves.
Again and again,
high-tech gangs use
a
security
hole in the keyless go system.
This causes severe
criticism on the
Internet
.
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Update from December 14th, 4:01 p.m.
- Police warnings about increased theft of
BMW
vehicles
via
Keyless Go
have caused a stir on the web.
Many users point out that the problems with cracked radio keys have been around for years.
But manufacturers such as
BMW have
failed to protect their Keyless Go systems from hacker attacks
to date
.
The inaction of the manufacturers is a "scandal", writes a user on Merkur.de.
It is surprising that to date no automaker has been sued for the inadequately secured technology, writes another.
The "keyless systems invite theft".
This is "actually grossly negligent".
Another user also calls on insurers to increase the pressure on manufacturers.
Keyless-Go
systems should be taken into account when
calculating the comprehensive insurance premiums
.
This would be "fair to prudent drivers," they say.
When the vehicle is attacked, thieves quickly extend the radio signal from the keyless go key and unlock the car almost effortlessly.
To prevent the attacks, many manufacturers recently equipped their systems with new motion sensors.
You interrupt the radio signal after a specified period of time and thus cannot be attacked.
However, experts do not consider these systems to be secure either.
ADAC
expert
Arnulf Thiemel
told Merkur.de on Monday
that it would take two minutes to crack the signal
.
BMW thieves steal luxury cars with a super trick - Munich police sound the alarm after an eerie series
First report from December 11th, 2:14 p.m.
- When it comes to comfort and additional equipment, the premium manufacturers like to go all out.
After all, extras like massage functions and fat sound systems bring real money to manufacturers.
It's
no different
at
BMW
.
But recently the group has growing problems with
special equipment.
At the beginning of November, thieves stole
five
BMW
brand cars
in the greater
Munich
area
- via
Keyless Go
.
This is a type of remote control key in which a chip establishes a connection with the car and unlocks it as soon as you are in the vicinity.
Many drivers find this pretty handy.
Because the remote control key can confidently remain in your pocket when you get in and it also locks the car automatically if you are a few meters away after getting out.
But now there are increasing cases in which thieves exploit the radio signal and crack expensive luxury cars seemingly effortlessly.
According to the Munich police, five
BMW
vehicles were
stolen
within three weeks in November
.
The damage amounted to a whopping 500,000 euros.
A police spokesman told
Merkur.de
that all of the cars were “M models and all of them have Keyless Go”
.
BMW: High-tech gangs target luxury cars
Now the next BMWs have been cracked in Thuringia.
Within a few days, thieves
stole
an
X5
and an
X6
in the Heilbad Heiligenstadt area around 60 kilometers north of Erfurt
, reports the
Thüringische Allgemeine
.
Both were also equipped with Keyless Go.
"The police are now warning car owners who use this system as it is very susceptible to theft," reports the newspaper.
Once again, thieves have stolen a BMW in #Eichsfeld.
The @Polizei_Thuer now warns the users of a certain vehicle key type: https://t.co/dn92GhOP2f
- TLZ (@TLZnews) December 10, 2020
According to the
Munich police
, the high-tech thieves preferred residential areas in which “the vehicles could be relatively easily assigned to individual houses”, for example on sidewalks or property driveways.
The gangs insisted that the vehicle keys would be placed close to the front door and without further ado extended the radio signal to open the cars.
According to the police, the necessary hardware can be easily ordered on the Internet.
Technology-savvy hobbyists could "assemble the appropriate devices themselves," said a spokesman.
BMW: Group uses new Keyless Go system
The problem is well known
at
BMW
.
In order to "increase theft protection", new series have been equipped with a revised generation of radio remote controls since March 2018, a
BMW
spokesman said on request.
The keyless go systems have an integrated sensor that switches off the radio signal as soon as the key is not moved for more than two minutes.
In this way, the system is “no longer vulnerable to radio wave extension,” assures the car manufacturer.
The new keyless go systems are said to be gradually being brought into series production in the vehicles of the 5, 6, 7, 8 series, the X3, X4, X5, i3 and i8 series as well as the “new model generations of 3 and Z4” been ".
Since spring 2019, the derivatives X1, X2, 2 Series Active Tourer, 2 Series Gran Tourer and the MINI models have also been equipped with the new radio remote control.
The Munich-based car manufacturer also offers a retrofit option for numerous older models.
BMW
is by no means an isolated case.
It was only at the end of November that researchers from the Catholic University of
Leuven
in
Belgium discovered
a serious security gap in the keyless entry system of the
Tesla
Model X and hacked the car with technology for just under 180 euros.
BMW Keyless Go: That's what the police advise
If you want to protect a car equipped with Keyless Go from radio attacks, you should park your vehicle "if possible in a garage clearly separated from your apartment", the police recommend.
The corresponding radio keys should also not be placed near windows or doors.
In addition, there is another simple trick that can be used: "Put your vehicle keys in a metal box".
This is how the signal can be shielded, advises the police.