A lot of higher end cars are now coming out with RF fobs that unlock and start the car. There is no longer a physical essential that is inserted in the ignition. It turns out that for BMW this implies stealing the cars is incredibly easy for a sophisticated criminal. We always liked the idea of metal keys that also had a chip in them. The two-tiered safety and security system makes sense to us, and would have avoid (or at least slowed down) the recent rash of BMW thefts that are going on in the UK.
So here’s the deal. A device like the one seen above can be attached to the On-Board Diagnostic (ODB) port of the vehicle. It can then be used to program a new keyfob. This of course is a required feature to replace a lost or broken device, but it seems the criminals have figured out how to do it themselves. now the only hard part is getting inside the car without setting off the alarm. According to this short article there are ultrasonic sensors inside which are developed to detect intrusion and immobilize the vehicle. but that’s somehow being circumvented.
You can check out a keyfob programming demo, as well as actual theft footage, after the break.
Fob programming demo
Theft video
[Thanks Lee]