A Common Automotive Feature Also Makes Car Thefts Easier

Not that long ago, the phrase “car key” meant a unique piece of metal that could be used to unlock a vehicle’s door and start the engine. As technology has advanced, so too has the range of what can be classified as a car key — which can increasingly refer to a device capable of operating with a keyless ignition system. The idea of being able to start a car just by pressing a button has its own appeal, but it can also come at a significant (and literal) cost.

In a recent article for The Mercury News, Nate Gartrell chronicled a series of Bay Area car thefts that exploited keyless entry and starting systems. What is especially notable about this series of crimes is the ease of access to the technology involved. In other words, a device that costs less than $100 was used to drive away with a car worth hundreds of times that amount.

The Mercury News cites law enforcement sources in pinning the thefts on the use of digital key reprogrammers, which they believe were used to make off with the vehicles. This was probably inevitable; digital locks have their own security risks, whether used in a car or in a home. As Gartrell reports, police made an arrest in this case for another very online reason: the alleged thief used Instagram to post lists of stolen cars.

Car Theft Data Has a Silver Lining for EV Owners

Camaros are a lot more likely to be targeted

A California state law that passed earlier this year may address this phenomenon. Assembly Bill 486 will add both “key programming device or key duplicating device” and “signal extender” to a list of tools for which possession can result in a misdemeanor when someone intends to use them in a burglary. (Though that also seems to create some legal grey areas that could affect people who have legitimate reasons to own key reprogrammers.) We’ll see if this measure dissuades California’s digitally savvy car thieves in the years to come.

Meet your guide

Tobias Carroll

Tobias Carroll lives and writes in New York City, and has been covering a wide variety of subjects — including (but not limited to) books, soccer and drinks — for many years. His writing has been published by the likes of the Los Angeles Times, Pitchfork, Literary Hub, Vulture, Punch, the New York Times and Men’s Journal. At InsideHook, he has…