This is how auto thieves work.How to protect the car against theft?

With a high degree of probability, however, it can be assumed that for several years the most popular methods of theft have been the so-called for a suitcase. In short, it is a way to bypass the security in cars equipped with the so-called. keyless systems and, in fact, a set of two "suitcases" (although the devices can be in any other inconspicuous package). One of the devices captures the signal from the remote control key, which may be located at a considerable distance from the car, and then sends it to the other, which is located right next to the car, and then in the car. Of course, communication is two-way - a device located near the car sends signals sent from the car to the key. Thanks to this, the on-board electronics "think" that the remote control key is right next to the car, as it happens when the person who has it wants to use the car.

Using such a wireless "extension cable", it is possible, for example, to remotely open the car with a key that is several hundred meters from the car, e.g. with one of the "suitcases" for the key, and another, with the other one, will stand by the car. The keys are not safe from this method, even in a closed house - many suitcases are so sensitive that the signal from the key-fob can be intercepted even through the wall of the building!

Photo: Auto Bild / Auto ŚwiatThe equipment used to steal cars using the "suitcase" method looks inconspicuous, it can be used in a way unnoticed by outsiders.

Of course, when the car moves more than a few hundred meters from the key, the transmitters stop working because their range is limited. The display in the car shows "key not detected", but the engine continues to run and the car drives normally. Why? Because for safety reasons, it must be so - the point is that, for example, in the event of a key failure, there would be no accident. Only when the engine is switched off, it may not be able to restart, although in some models it takes a few seconds between turning off the ignition and locking it!

How to protect yourself against the suitcase method?

There are at least a few ways here, although many of them are relatively burdensome. First of all, in most cars, the keyless entry function can be simply turned off, but then we give up the convenience. The second method: storing the key in a case or other packaging that blocks radio communication - here, however, we also give up convenience, because before opening, closing or starting the car, the key must simply be removed from the packaging. There are also more sophisticated electronic methods, such as the Polish invention KeylessProtector - a special, miniature module for self-assembly in the key-fob, which cuts off the device's power supply immediately after leaving the car, thus preventing interception of communication between the key and the car. For the key to become active again, an appropriate sequence of "knocks" on the housing is enough.

Car manufacturers sometimes also use security measures to reduce the vulnerability of the system to interception of communication - e.g. they add electronics to the system that monitors the signal transmission time with extreme precision - in this way it can be detected that the transmitter was involved in the communication between the remote control and the car. It's just that manufacturers of thieving equipment react very quickly to such changes - there are already "suitcases" that work with such a small delay that they can also deal with secured systems.

Another possibility of relatively unobtrusive protection of a car equipped with a keyless system is the installation of an additional, non-factory immobilizer, controlled completely differently than the factory ones, so that the control signal cannot be extended. It can be an additional "pill" next to the key fob.

How do they steal our cars?

The method for "magic boxes" and "Gameboy"

This is of course a conventional name, but it is about modules prepared for specific car models, plugged either into the OBD socket or to the indicated point on the data bus. Modules for disarming immobilizers are available semi-officially, some companies that sell them require credibility that, for example, a legal service is run, but usually it is enough to transfer money to the indicated account. Depending on the car model, the thief must first, for example, force the door (there are special tools for this, thanks to which it can be done quickly and without destroying the locks) or crawl under the car and plug into the harness in the indicated place. If the car does not have a start button, only a regular key, the thief must also defeat the lock on the steering wheel.

A relatively new and "supporting" few car models is the Bulgarian "Gameboy" - a device disguised as an electronic game that can open and unlock the car wirelessly. It looks inconspicuous, costs about 80,000. zlotys (there are international stores that trade such goods), copes with salable, mainly Asian cars. If you see a gaming fan walking in the parking lot, keep an eye on your car!

Instead of a specialized module for theft, e.g. a diagnostic computer with appropriate software can also be used, but also a controller removed from another car, for which thieves also have a matching key with an immobilizer transponder - then it is enough to force the mechanical protection of the ignition switch. .

Photo:Policy.plThe police often find criminals with kits of prepared electronics that allow them to bypass factory security measures.

Instead of a specialized module for theft, a diagnostic computer with appropriate software can also be used, but also, for example, a controller removed from another car to whose thieves also have a matching key with a transponder for the immobilizer - then it is enough to force the mechanical protection of the ignition.

Customized keys

Unofficial leaks show that, for example, criminals manage to gain access to data on the basis of which, for example, knowing the VIN of the vehicle (in many models it is located in a legible place) they can clone the original key. This type of software is offered in the so-called The darknet, the more anonymous part of the internet.

How to protect your car against such methods? Non-factory protection is needed! There are still many supporters of mechanical locks - because today's thieves do not like making noise and usually do not have heavy tools with them - but such solutions are usually extremely inconvenient, which is why car owners often give up using them - and, for example, the best mechanical the gearbox lock will not do anything if it is not locked when leaving the car. Some forms of theft are protected, for example, by a mechanical blockade of access to the on-board diagnostics (OBD) socket, which makes it impossible for a thief to simply connect his equipment to the car's controller. Some car owners, usually the most determined ones, who have already lost several cars, use unusual protection, such as leaving only a dummy OBD socket in the place of the factory OBD socket, and moving the real socket to another, less accessible place.

Photo: archive / Auto ŚwiatW. In modern cars, access to the OBD socket and connecting a diagnostic computer or a special module with "thief's" software allows you to bypass factory security.

Older alarms will not help, security devices plugged into the CAN bus are effective!

Older car alarms and immobilisers, in which important circuits in the car were "cut off" with the help of a remote control, will not work in today's cars - they can be a source of interference with the factory installation! For some time, however, interesting new-generation electronic protections have also been available on the market, e.g. modules plugged into the CAN bus, which, for example, simulate a fault that prevents the car from starting (e.g. failure of the shaft position sensor) until they are turned off. This can be done in various ways: wirelessly, via bluetooth and the appropriate application on the smartphone, or by, for example, pressing several factory buttons in the car cabin in the appropriate, pre-programmed sequence - because the module is connected to the bus through which data from all receivers, it can record even touching the window closing button or the buttons on the steering wheel. This type of security is extremely difficult to locate and bypass, although their installation is usually non-invasive.

A new solution that can work, for example, in hybrids or in cars with automatic or automated gearboxes are electronic locks of the drive mode selector that prevent the gear from being engaged. Also, they, like immobilizers plugged into the data bus, can be unlocked, for example, via the smartphone application, or by clicking the appropriate sequence with the selected buttons of the car's on-board devices.

The most important rules for protecting your car from theft

Car theft: there are no safe places, no safe time!

If thieves locate the car they are interested in, then you have to reckon with the fact that they'll steal it eventually. Putting the car behind a fence, on a private property or, for example, in an underground garage under the building, is no protection! Devices that allow you to open, for example, a garage door controlled by a variable code remote control can be purchased for several dozen dollars! They work in such a way that they temporarily jam the signal between the original remote control and the gate - when the right user presses the button, the gate does not open. In such a situation, he usually presses the button a second or third time and ... finally the gate responds. It's just that in the device's memory (an inconspicuous box placed at the gate) 1-2 "unused" codes are saved, which can be used later. In this way, it is possible to circumvent the protection that in newer devices it is impossible to simply copy the control signal, because the code from a given pool can only be used once. In this case, however, the receiver "doesn't know" that the "transmitter" has already used this code, because it was jammed along the way. Exactly the same devices can defeat almost any older remote control alarm!

There are also no safe parking places in public places, even those that are monitored. If the thief is prepared to steal, it does not last much longer and does not look different at first glance than entering the car of an authorized person. You can't count on monitoring either - in the era of common wearing of masks, baseball caps or hoodies, video recording is usually not enough to identify the perpetrators

They steal catalytic converters, multimedia stations, LED headlights!

In the times of the Polish People's Republic, batteries and spare wheels were stolen from cars, or fuel was sucked out of tanks. Later, car radios became the most fashionable, quick prey among thieves. What's being stolen now? The market has changed - ordinary, non-factory radios are completely unsaleable, but complete, factory multimedia sets are missing from newer cars. There is a lot of demand for them - in the event of a failure, the replacement of factory multimedia at the Dealership costs a 4-5 digit amount, there are also car owners who would like to retrofit cars that left the factory with more modest equipment. It is worth knowing, however, that such advanced electronics saves more in memory than you might think - it is usually possible to check from which car such advanced equipment was removed!

Another "saleable commodity" are airbags - they are removed in a matter of minutes and are in high demand on the market for accident repairs. A new pillow in the Dealership is an expense of several thousand, second-hand pillows are sold for a fraction of this amount.

For a set of airbags or a multimedia station, a thief can get slightly less money than for a complete car delivered to the fence.

Theft of catalytic converters and diesel particulate filters is a phenomenon that has been increasing for years. Interestingly, the problem concerns not only new cars, but also vehicles that are several years old. Catalysts and filters from newer cars are sold in their entirety as spare parts, while those from older cars go to collection points because they contain more valuable materials. Thieves can be so brazen that, for example, they rob wholesale cars parked in underground car parks under buildings.

Photo: Youtube/UK News in pictureTheft of a catalyst in broad daylight, in a minute and a half!

The market of stolen headlights is just getting started - lamps in new cars, especially those made in LED-Matrix technology, are absurdly expensive, and not only do they break down, but also usually need to be replaced after a minor collision. Used LEDs are therefore often used for post-accident car repairs - with a 5-6 year old car, the cost of replacing two advanced LED lamps, a bumper, a front grille and sensors installed behind it is sometimes so high that it can mean "total damage" - using parts of "unknown origin" is much cheaper.