Can Your Car Be Hacked? - Feature

Not too long ago, securing a car meant popping the faceplate off the CD player, slapping a Club over the steering wheel, and locking the doors. As vehicles’ electronic systems evolve, however, automobiles are starting to require the same protection as laptop computers and e-commerce servers.

Currently, there’s nothing to stop anyone with malicious intent and some ­computer-programming skills from taking command of your vehicle. After gaining access, a hacker could control everything from which song plays on the radio to whether the brakes work.

While there are no reported cases of cars being maliciously hacked in the real world, in 2010, researchers affiliated with the Center for Automotive Embedded Systems Security (CAESS—a partnership between the University of California San Diego and the University of Washington) demonstrated how to take over all of a car’s vital systems by plugging a device into the OBD-II port under the dashboard.

It gets worse. In a paper that’s due to be published later this year, those same researchers remotely take control of an unnamed vehicle through its telematics system. They also demonstrate that it’s theoretically possible to hack a car with malware embedded in an MP3 and with code transmitted over a Wi-Fi connection.

Such breaches are possible because the dozens of  independently operating computers on modern vehicles are all connected through an in-car communications network known as a controller-area-network bus, or CAN bus.

Even though vital systems such as the throttle, brakes, and steering are on a separate part of the network that’s not directly connected to less secure infotainment and diagnostic systems, the two networks are so entwined that an entire car can be hacked if any single component is breached.

So the possibility now exists for platoons of cars to go rogue at the command of computer-savvy terrorists, crazed exes, and parking attendants with Ph.D.s in computer science. But the truth is that hacking a car takes a lot of  time, effort, and money—three resources automakers are using to fight back.

At Chrysler, where optional infotainment systems are integrated with hard drives and mobile internet hot spots, company spokesman Vince Muniga says a data breach of an individual automobile is “highly unlikely.” That doesn’t mean the company is ignoring the problem. “It’s an ongoing engineering issue,” he says. “You want to stay one step ahead of what these guys might do.” Rich Strader, Ford’s director of information technology security and strategy, says the automaker has been steadily strengthening in-vehicle systems, but the threat is always evolving. He says the difficulty with security is that “you can’t honestly say something is impossible.

Gm Key Fob - News


Can Your Car Be Hacked? - Feature
Can Your Car Be Hacked? - Feature

A wireless key fob is supposed to unlock and/or start the car only when the person holding the key-fob is directly next to the vehicle or already sitting inside. However, Swiss researchers have found a way to intercept and extend the signal up to 30



2012 Chevrolet Volt ready to tackle the Canadian climate
2012 Chevrolet Volt ready to tackle the Canadian climate

If you're running late, you can also use the keyfob's remote starter, which will prep the battery pack for optimal temperature before firing up the car. The Volt actually has 3 cooling circuits with their own coolant tanks; one for the battery pack,



Review: 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Sportwagon
Review: 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Sportwagon

The keyless access system — which allows anybody carrying the key fob to open the door were it otherwise locked just by pulling on the door handle outside — felt unnatural and forced at first until I got the feel for it, but there are better systems



The New Robo Cars

(Unfortunately for would-be joyriders, you need a key to put it in gear.) And pretty soon, we'll be tossing those fobs altogether. GM's OnStar supports smartphone apps that let you lock, unlock and start the car directly from your phone.




Gm Key Fob - Bookshelf

Popular Mechanics

Popular Mechanics

Other key GM power boosts: • Camaro and Firebird V8s pick up 10 hp from a ... works from almost anywhere within a 30-ft. range when you press the key fob. ...

AUTOMOTIVE ELECTRICITY AND ELECRONICS, Automotive Electricity & Electronics

AUTOMOTIVE ELECTRICITY AND ELECRONICS, Automotive Electricity & Electronics

An additional feature that GM offers can be used as a stand alone ... The key fob contains a radio-free juency transponder that will send door lock and ...

Popular Mechanics

Popular Mechanics

A double-click on a key fob opens or closes the doors automatically. ... Now for the redo of the Silverado /Sierra line, GM opted for an evolutionary, ...

Nuts & volts

Nuts & volts

Attaching the GM Tube The Geiger-Mueller tube has two leads. ... 9 Multi-Channel Modules Transceiver Modules Key fob TXs FCC PRECERTIFIED & ready to ...

Popular Science

Popular Science

You can open the optional electric door (left) on GM's minivans from afar by pressing a button on the keyfob. The door also can also be activated from the ...

Directory Information Directory


Car key fob | Shop car key fob sales & prices at TheFind
Car key fob - Find the largest selection of car key fob on sale. Shop by price, color, locally and more. Get the best sales, coupons, and deals at TheFind.

key fob | eBay
eBay: key fob

Gm Key Fob - Product Reviews, Compare Prices, and Shop at ...
Shop for Gm Key Fob. Price comparison, consumer reviews, and store ratings on Shopping.com

Chevy key fob | Shop chevy key fob sales & prices at TheFind
Chevy key fob - Find the largest selection of chevy key fob on sale. Shop by price, color, locally and more. Get the best sales, coupons, and deals at TheFind.

How to Program GM Key Fobs | eHow.com
How to Program GM Key Fobs. GM cars and trucks are equipped with keyless entry capabilities. This technology gives owners the ability to remotely control their ...