Volkswagens

cyberyacht
cyberyacht Forum Participant Posts: 10,218
1000 Comments
edited August 2016 in Towcars & Towing #1

and possibly other VAG models?

Don't park your Beetle at Bletchley Park

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-37057689

Comments

  • Wildwood
    Wildwood Club Member Posts: 3,581 ✭✭✭✭
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    edited August 2016 #2

    Difficult to believe after there other problems. Given that their systems must be similar to other makers, you do wonder if anything is secure. Still it saves them damaging the car when they steal the contents, so look on the brightside.

  • cyberyacht
    cyberyacht Forum Participant Posts: 10,218
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    edited August 2016 #3

    I wonder if the risk is somewhat theoretical. I would guess that few low lifes have advanced cryptography skills, hence the Bletchley Park reference.

  • andybe
    andybe Forum Participant Posts: 37
    edited August 2016 #4

    This is not new story. I remember this being aired some years when remote central locking first appeared. 

  • flatcoat
    flatcoat Forum Participant Posts: 1,571
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    edited August 2016 #5

    And it is not just VW that is affected, most manufacturers use the same technology.

  • TimJim
    TimJim Forum Participant Posts: 162
    edited August 2016 #6

    No thats not quite accurate Flatcoat.......Sadly it appears to be cool you have to be able to unlock your car from 100 metres away.....hence opportunity to hack your fob....Our Subaru uses Near Field Technology on its fob..you need to be less than 1 metre away to use the keyless entry..except for the electronic boot release which recognises the fob from around 20 metres away then opens....close enough I think....ask yourself this...if your car has keyless entry and your car is parked 25 metres away from where your key is kept....let's say ....your fob is in your hall cupboard and your car is 20 metres away....can you unlock your car without taking the key out of the cupboard ?........if you can anyone can open it......just a thought.......

    Tj

  • EmilysDad
    EmilysDad Forum Participant Posts: 8,973
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    edited August 2016 #7

    my question re keyless entry in general ....,. if you have keyless entry on your car, I assume you must be able to turn it off, both from the point made by TimJim above and also when your towcar is parked a couple of feet away when on a caravan site andd
    the key can 'see' the car

  • Vulcan
    Vulcan Forum Participant Posts: 670
    edited August 2016 #8

    my question re keyless entry in general ....,. if you have keyless entry on your car, I assume you must be able to turn it off, both from the point made by TimJim above and also when your towcar is parked a couple of feet away when on a caravan site andd
    the key can 'see' the car

    Keyless entry cannot be switched off, at least not on my LR and the key needs to be within 90cm of the vehicle to open it.

  • EmilysDad
    EmilysDad Forum Participant Posts: 8,973
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    edited August 2016 #9

    my question re keyless entry in general ....,. if you have keyless entry on your car, I assume you must be able to turn it off, both from the point made by TimJim above and also when your towcar is parked a couple of feet away when on a caravan site andd
    the key can 'see' the car

    Keyless entry cannot be switched off, at least not on my LR and the key needs to be within 90cm of the vehicle to open it.

    So your LR is always unlocked when parked up within 3' of your caravan on a caravan site ..... ? Undecided

  • Vulcan
    Vulcan Forum Participant Posts: 670
    edited August 2016 #10

    my question re keyless entry in general ....,. if you have keyless entry on your car, I assume you must be able to turn it off, both from the point made by TimJim above and also when your towcar is parked a couple of feet away when on a caravan site andd the key can 'see' the car

    Keyless entry cannot be switched off, at least not on my LR and the key needs to be within 90cm of the vehicle to open it.

    So your LR is always unlocked when parked up within 3' of your caravan on a caravan site ..... ? Undecided

    No, it is locked until I am within 3' of it and touch the door handle.

  • richardandros
    richardandros Club Member Posts: 2,682 ✭✭✭
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    edited August 2016 #11

    my question re keyless entry in general ....,. if you have keyless entry on your car, I assume you must be able to turn it off, both from the point made by TimJim above and also when your towcar is parked a couple of feet away when on a caravan site andd
    the key can 'see' the car

    Keyless entry cannot be switched off, at least not on my LR and the key needs to be within 90cm of the vehicle to open it.

    So your LR is always unlocked when parked up within 3' of your caravan on a caravan site ..... ? Undecided

    No, it is locked until I am within 3' of it and touch the door handle.

    And that's exactly how it worked on my last VW Touareg.  The present one doesn't have keyless entry.

  • cyberyacht
    cyberyacht Forum Participant Posts: 10,218
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    edited August 2016 #12

    Not a VW, but my Kuga can be unlocked in direct line of sight from about 10-15 metres. However when it is in the garage at home and about 10 feet from the keys in my coat pocket, it comes up with "key not detected". Brick walls obviously block signals. I
    haven't investigated the efficacy of aluminium walls.

  • Vulcan
    Vulcan Forum Participant Posts: 670
    edited August 2016 #13

    People seem to be confusing two different issues in this post, the ability of the key fob to lock and unlock the vehicle from a distance as it has been for many years and the ability of the
    key fob to be left in the pocket as I do,(can’t see the point of having keyless locking and still using the key fob).

    As regards theft of vehicles with keyless locking, this is usually achieved by the thief been in the vicinity of the vehicle when it is been locked, a gismo is used to block the signal from
    the key fob so that the vehicle does not lock. When the vehicle owner leaves the vehicle thinking he has locked it a laptop is connected to the vehicle diagnostic port and new key fob is programmed with the vehicles data, then it can be started.

    The ability to download this data from the vehicle is entirely due to the EU insisting that vehicle security data is available to any dealer or locksmith in order to program a replacement
    key fob rather than only allowing franchised dealers to access the data.

  • Fysherman
    Fysherman Forum Participant Posts: 1,570
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    edited August 2016 #14

    Just about any car with a OBDP (data port) can have a new key reprogrammed and immobiliser bypassed by any passing ten year old with a laptop once inside the car.

    The use of a brick through the window to gain access and a laptop means that "Grabbing" signals from key fobs is now old hat .

    Which is why I now have gone back to a "Stoplok Pro" and a "Clutch Claw"