Limited owners beware!

[SeattleMike]

Link

Normally, when a wireless key is within a few meters of the right car, it detects a low-powered signal that causes it to issue a command that opens the car enable the ignition. The researchers used a pair of antennas to transmit these signals from the car to the key when the key was farther away, tricking the car into opening without the ordinary authorization. One antenna needs to be very close to the car, and one needs to be within eight meters of the key.

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The researchers came up with two versions of the attack. In one, they ran a cable from near the car to near the key and used it to transmit the signals. They conducted the other wirelessly. Francillon says that the materials for the wired attack cost about $50, and those for the wireless attack cost between $100 and $1,000, depending on the electronic components used.
The researchers tested a few scenarios. An attacker could watch a parking lot and have an accomplice watch as car owners as entered a nearby store. The accomplice would only need to be within eight meters of the targeted owner's key fob, making it easy to avoid arousing suspicion. In another scenario, a car owner might leave a car key on a table near a window. An antenna placed outside the house was able to communicate with the key, allowing the researchers then to start the car parked out front and drive away.

You know that two weeks from now you'll be able to buy "key extenders" on the internet for $200. :keyboard:

 

[BL78]

Good info

 

[rjfowler]

What happens if the car drives out of range of the key? Once started, can you drive as far as you want without the key?

 

[Glenn_Law]

That's troubling. My wife's Lexus and my new LE both use the RF fob.

 

[shearerman320]

Yes once started you can drive as far as you want to if you leave the fob out of the car. Once you shut the car off you cannot start it though. I could see thieves using this more to unlock and steal from inside your car. Once stolen they would need to take directly to chop shop since restarting the car would be pretty hard to do without the fob. They have the same technology to the record the wave length sent from your normal remote key less entry system as well. This also holds true for garage doors.

 

[kmiller8821]

Honestly, I'm not too concerned with this. There are ways to cirumvent any system, regardless of weather its old fashioned key or wireless key. I don't take my key out of my pocket, and in Toyota's case, the fob has to be "inside the car" to start it. THey would have to do this trick twice on me, once to open the door, and then jump in and do it again to start it. Even so, once they turned it off it wouldn't start again. I'm not gonna loose any sleep over this.

 

[Plato1969]

This is a concern for all owners of cars with a FOB... but honestly, at least in my area, car thieves are not really looking for 4Runners... they are targeting "luxury" brands, so I feel pretty safe. :

 

[BrianLSU]

Nice, sounds like mission impossible.

Wouldn't be easier to just steal an Escalade?