Bedlam wrote:
I'm not sure how many of the enthusiastic adopters of fobs and vehicle connectivity have a background in RF or security. I have been in tech over 40 years and see glaring issues with the current line of products that cannot be updated or remediated other than disabling them. The saving grace is that thieves typically are not that smart and the configured devices and tools are not as pervasive or available for these exploits. Anyone that is computer literate or ambitious can cheaply build or program devices that can create a bypass due to this drive for more convenience.
The key fobs are far, far more secure than (non-electronic) cut keys. Adding digital chips to the mechanical keys (an immobilizer of some sort) can readily be shown statistically to have cut down on vehicle theft by a considerable amount. RF key fobs are basically just the immobilizer system, which provides the real security, without the physical key to get bent or worn or mired in crud.
I certainly don't know all the systems in use, but the ones I've seen described (at least recently) are generally fairly secure; IIRC they use a rolling code, often challenge and response setup. A simple replay attach is useless. My (old) garage door opener remote is much less secure than the keyless entry for my car. In either case, someone wanting in need only employ a rock or hammer....
