Why you might want to wrap your car key fob in foil
USA Today Network
Phoebe Wall Howard, Detroit Free Press Published
6:00 a.m. ET July 8, 2018

DETROIT – Given that the best way to store your car keys at night is by putting them in a coffee can, what's an ex-FBI agent's advice to protect cars from theft during the day?
Wrap car fobs in aluminum foil.

“Although it's not ideal, it is the most inexpensive way,” said Holly Hubert, a cybersecurity expert who retired in 2017 from the FBI in Buffalo, New York. “The cyber threat is so dynamic and ever changing, it’s hard for consumers to keep up.”

Now, as CEO of GlobalSecurityIQ, she suggests clients go online and spend a few dollars and buy what’s called a Faraday bag to shield the fob signal from potential theft. Imagine a traditional sandwich bag made of foil instead of plastic.

Thing is, the car is always waiting for the fob signal. Thieves can buy legitimate devices that amplify the fob signal sitting unprotected in a purse, a pocket, on a counter at home or even just copy the code to access the vehicle.

The cheap (or homemade) metal protection covers, named for the scientist who figured out how to block an electromagnetic field, can prevent thieves from having access to vehicles with a wireless fob. Currently, thieves can capture fob signals from outside a home, office or hotel room.

“You know it works if you can’t unlock a car door when the fob is inside,” said Moshe Shlisel, CEO of GuardKnox Cyber Technologies and a veteran of the Israeli Air Force who helped develop cyber protection for fighter jets and missile defense systems.

“The credit card holders don’t work because they’re essentially a net rather than a wall.”

He visited Detroit recently to meet with automakers. He’s already working with Daimler on Mercedes-Benz vehicles and the Volkswagen Group on Porsche, Audi and Volkswagen products – to protect them from hackers. Other clients and potential clients have asked to remain confidential.

Shlisel showed a new video of his company’s engineers taking control of a semi-truck through the use of a cellphone. Numerous videos have been posted online to illustrate that vulnerability is an industrywide problem.

He held up his fob and said, “This should be something we don’t need to wrap with foil. It’s 2018. Car companies need to find a way so no one can replicate the messages and the communication between the key and the vehicle.”

At home, Shlisel puts his key fob in a can with foil around it to add another layer. In his pocket, he carries the fob for his 2017 Ford F-150 in a little pouch that is made of fabric on the outside and foil inside.

Cybersecurity experts say privately that anyone who knows anything about the ease of auto and personal data hacking practices safe fob storage.

Clifford Neuman, director of the University of Southern California Center for Computer Systems Security in Los Angeles, pointed to the millions of consumers who now carry their credit cards in a protective pocket designed to work as a Faraday cage.

“We’re talking about electronic burglary tools or car theft tools,” he said. “You go up to a house with a car parked in front of it, detect a fob 10 feet away in a bedroom and it allows the car to be unlocked. As these devices become more available, this scenario becomes more and more likely.”

Neuman added, “Cars used to be hot-wired. That used to be common, but was an accepted risk. This will become a new technique used by criminals. How much you are concerned, and what you do about it, is a matter of risk management.”

People who store their fobs in Faraday cages aren't paranoid, experts say.

Jay Beckerman doesn’t want to wrap his key fob in aluminum foil before leaving home, but he says he is learning that maybe it's a good idea.

After reading an article in May about cybersecurity experts not going to bed before stashing their car "keys" in metal coffee cans to prevent theft, the retired journalist from Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, wrote to say, "I can't carry my keys in a metal can during the day. What do I do?"

He went on, “I bought a Samsonite RFID pouch from Staples, put my fob wholly in the pouch, stood about 10 feet from my car, a 2004 Audi A6, and pressed the buttons from the outside. But the lock and unlock buttons worked, lights went on and off. Same with a 2013 A4. Not the desired outcome to foil a miscreant snooper. Though they might fit in a purse, Altoid cans probably aren’t deep enough and wouldn’t work in a pants pocket. Band-Aids don’t come in small cans anymore.”

Shlisel said at the time, “The best thing you can do is keep your key in a small tin can wrapped with aluminum foil. But in a purse or pocket, just aluminum foil will do the job."

This is the reality of a wireless, connected world where car doors lock with a click and a chirp, where children in the back seat stream videos and companies can update software technology remotely.
While auto industry engineers know a lot about traditional safety, quality, compliance and reliability challenges, cyber is an “adaptive adversary,” said Faye Francy, executive director of the nonprofit Automotive Information Sharing and Analysis Center, which specializes in cybersecurity strategies. “Automakers are starting to implement security features in every stage of design and manufacturing. This includes the key fob.”


https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/nat...foil/762338002/

Why you should wrap your keys in aluminum foil
By Kim Komando
Published October 24, 2015


Your car is always listening. Not for your voice, like the Amazon Echo or Siri, but for an electronic signal, such as the coded "unlock" signal from your electronic key fob. If it's a newer car model, you might not have to press any buttons; just approach your car and the doors will unlock automatically. In some cars, the engine will even turn on.

Wirelessly unlocking your car is convenient, but it comes at a price. Criminals can easily intercept the key fob's signal and open your car without setting off any alarms. If you have a true keyless car model, they might be able to just drive away. Let's look at how criminals pull this off and what you can do to keep your car safe.

How your car's security system works

As you've probably noticed, you can't just open your car with any old radio signal. You need your specific key fob to do the job, and there's a reason.

A key fob uses a computer chip to create a unique code that it sends to your car's security system. The car also has a chip that uses the same algorithm to generate codes. If the codes match up, the car opens. There's a bit more to it, but those are the basics.

How criminals attack #1

Since each key fob/car security pair is unique, and each one can create billions of codes, hackers shouldn’t stand a chance. But it turns out that a popular system from Megamos Crypto isn't as secure everyone thought.

Researchers at Radboud University in the Netherlands and the University of Birmingham found that by intercepting the wireless signal just twice, they could narrow down the possible combinations from billions to just 200,000. After that, a computer can figure out the code in just half an hour and unlock the car.

In a real-world application, a thief could sit on a street and gather wireless signals as car owners enter and exit their vehicles. Then overnight they could steal a number of cars. Click here to find out if your car is at risk from this kind of attack.

Still, it takes a skilled car thief or hacker to carry out this kind of attack, so the odds of it happening to you are slim. But thanks to always-on key fobs, there's another risk that's much more likely to happen.

How criminals attack #2

Always-on key fobs present a serious weakness in your car's security. As long as your keys are in range, anyone can open the car and the system will think it's you. That's why newer car models won't unlock until the key fob is within a foot of them.

But for less than $100, criminals can get an amplifier that detects key fob signals from up to 300 feet away and then transmits them to your car. In other words, your keys could be in your house, and criminals could walk up to your car and open it. This isn't just a theory; it's actually happening.

Steps to stop car thieves

Fortunately, there are some simple steps you can take to keep hackers from stealing your signal. You can buy a signal-blocking pouch that can hold your keys, like the Hack-Blocking Card Pouch I sell in the Komando Shop.

If you don’t want to spend any money, you can stick your key fob into the refrigerator or freezer. The multiple layers of metal will block your key fob's signal. Just check with the fob's manufacturer to make sure that freezing your key fob won't damage it.

If you're not hot on freezing your key fob, you can do the same thing with your microwave oven. (Hint: Don't turn it on.) Stick your key fob in there, and criminals won't be able to pick up its signal. Like any seasoned criminal, they'll just move onto an easier target.

Since your key fob's signal is blocked by metal, you can also wrap it up in aluminum foil. While that's the easiest solution, it can also leak the signal if you don't do it right. Plus, you might need to stock up on foil. You can also make a foil-lined box to put your keys in, if you're in a crafting mood.

You should also be aware that this kind of signal stealing isn't a problem just for car key fobs. Newer passports and other I.D. cards contain radio frequency identification chips that enable criminals to use a high-powered RFID reader to steal your information from a distance. You don't need aluminum foil, however. Explore the line of stylish RFID-blocking wallets, purses and passport cases I sell in the Komando Shop.

Key fob hacking isn't the only danger to modern cars. Learn how hackers can take control of cars through their entertainment systems and other avenues of attack.


http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2015/10/24/w...minum-foil.html