The vehicles equipped with smart keys were found out to be highly vulnerable to be hacked, allowing thieves to steal a car easily.

As the digital key has the requirement of a carrier such as a smartphone, theft can easily happen, and through that, it can even control the wireless transmission between the carrier and car.

The research from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology found that the smart key fobs, especially present in luxury vehicles, are highly susceptible to hacking. The feature allows a driver to unlock doors and start a vehicle without touching the fob. Using radio signals, the fob and vehicle send encrypted signals to each other over short distances, which were vulnerable. The keyless system is always on and always working, and communicating. The car sends a short signal via the low-frequency channel for verifying that the key and the car are capable of communicating or not.

With wired and wireless connections between their antennas, the team was able to unlock and start ten different vehicles even when the distance was eight meters away from the key fob holder. Since the keyless entry systems use the same basic design, the hack can work on millions of vehicles. The car fails to get any signals or alarms, since the signal received is not false.

The OEMs have been on a binge of offering advanced features relative to the unlocking/locking of doors, control of windows, moon roofs, mirrors, seat adjustment, radio pre-sets, and remote engine starting via key fobs that are carried by the driver. A transponder in the smart key features a small chip inside the key head that sends a signal to the signal amplifier and in turn to the ECU, which then disengages the immobilizer system and allows the engine to start. The proximity fob needs to be in the range of the system in order for the system to allow the engine to start via a push-button ignition switch. The convenience that these systems provide, helps to significantly drive the growth of the market. Some of the OEMs in the USA were introduced their models with the smart key. For instance,

Tesla Model 3 Key Fob which is shaped as a miniature version car provides an easy and convenient way to access the car. It can automatically lock and unlock itself when the Key Fob is in the range of three feet.

Similarly, in 2020 Lincoln Aviator, the car can be accessed with the smartphone application, along with that it can be also be used to open and close windows and the trunk, hit the panic button, and chirp the alarm.

Apart from the above trend major OEMs in the country have ambitious future plan for electric mobility such as in March 2020, GM announced its future plan for electric mobility, in which USD 20 billion will be invested in coming yearsalong with that it will launch 20 new electric models by 2023 in which some of the models are Cadillac “Lyriq” EV,electric versions of GMC’s, and the Cruise Origin, which is electric, self-driving vehicle jointly developed by GM and Honda.