Car Theft

It seems that the main way house thieves are making substantial income is by stealing cars by obtaining the car keys after obtaining access to homes.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics reported that Majority of car thefts happen at home

The industry complicit

A UK video on car theft has stated that the automotive and insurance industries have a vested interest in cars being stollen because it results in more cars being sold and insured. However it could be that the statement was made to promote the video.

Modern cars difficult to hot wire

Most modern cars are difficult to hot wire. That is pull down some wireing from behind the dashboard, cut some wires and put certain wires together so as to bipass the function of turning the key to the on position.

Modern cars have ignition immobilisers. Electric cars dont have ignition at all. Ther is nothing to ignite. Instead they have an on off button. But that is still immobilised The idea of immobilisers is that even if the wireing is hot wired, somthing else needs to be present to mobilize the electrical circuitry. Typically a key or a mobilising fob.

It had become difficult for car thieves to hot wire cars. It is easier for them to steal the keys or fobs.

A video on The Design Flaw That Made Hyundais Absurdly Easy to Steal

More technical way to steal a modern car

If a car thief is technically minded or is able to purchase the technical equipment, they can bost or transmit the signal that comes from the fobs that allow a car to be opened and started by a fob that normally has to be close to the car. The devices tricks your car into thinking your keys are close by, even if they're still in your house, It's called relay theft.

Fortunately, at the moment, most of the cars stollen in Australia, 70%, are not done by using this method. Perhaps we don't have technical minded car thieves in Australia. But, apparently the incidents of car theft without a key or fob is increasing overseas. We are sure to eventually follow.

Personally I prefer the idea of someone stealing my car without invading my home. Especially, when I am at home. Which is typically required, for the keys or fob to also be in my house.

Is the incidents of house theft being exhabasaed because of car immobilisers? Often a car could be worth more to a thief than most of the possessions in a home.

A video on How Do Modern Cars Get Stolen?

Better than a key or Fob

A mobile phone. More secure than keys and fobs, are using a mobile phone as the immobiliser.

Some cars do this. Even if a thief steals your mobile phone, provided the phone itself is secured by a one of the many ways of doing so, the thief will not be able to use it to steal your car. It's a form of multi factor authentification. The phone by itself may not open or start your car. The phone may have to be unlocked before it can be used to unlock and start your car.

As for the issue of relay theft, the protocols for phone digital keys may have a time that the signal needs to travel to the car and back, that is measured in a cryptographic way.

Unfortunately, currently not many cars allow you to use your phone as an immobiliser.

When cars do use phone as an immobiliser they also proved other security features. Like virtual Key sharing, terminating or suspending virtual keys seetting the properties and entitlements of virtual keys and more.

What do theifs do with the cars they steal?

A National Geographic video Smuggling Stolen Cars (Full Episode) | Trafficked with Mariana Van Zeller, indicates that cars stollen in the US, by professional car thieves, end up in Gauna Africa with the African criminals being the ones effective controling the crime ring.

Africa is right hand drive, so it's unlikely that cars stollen in Australia would end up ther.

An old report???¿? Indicated that often stolen cars are stored down for parts.

Still happening??? What about micro printing on car components????