Protect your car!!!

With every new car security feature comes new thieves.

Countermeasures have been strengthened as new car theft methods such as "code grabber" that accesses the OBD2 terminal and "relay attack" that uses radio waves from smart keys have appeared.

And now, a new method called "CAN Invader" that accesses CAN (Controller Area Network) using a special device is rapidly increasing.

Mitsuhiro Kunisawa, a car critic, explains the reality of this new theft method. * This article is from September 2021 Text / Mitsuhiro Kunisawa Photo / Adobe Stock (top photo = ExQuisine @ Adobe Stock) First published: "Best Car" October 26, 2021 issue

What is the "CAN Invader" Mechanism? how?

As you know, today's cars are equipped with various sensors, devices, actuators, etc., and they work together.

For example, if you start running and try to lock the doors, you would have to connect the vehicle speed sensor to the door lock-related ECU. On the other hand, vehicle speed sensors are also used in ECUs for ABS and electronic stability control.

If you use wires one by one, the car will become a mass of wires.

Therefore, the idea of ​​"CAN" was to connect various ECUs with one line and send various information.

So you can control everything by accessing CAN.

The most obvious is the OBD2 socket. OBD2 is also part of CAN. From here, the vehicle speed, water temperature, and even the location of the failure can be instantly determined. Of course, you can start the engine by inserting the coupler into OBD2.

"Code Grabber", which is a method of vehicle theft, is a method of starting the engine by accessing the OBD2 terminal. However, if you use the code grabber, you have to unlock the door somehow.

A failure here will sound a security alarm. Vehicles that are prone to theft are guarded by retrofitted security, making it more difficult to steal.

The ``relay attack'' that uses radio waves from smart keys is also becoming more difficult as more and more people keep their keys in cans.

So CAN Invaders.

As mentioned above, couplers that can access CAN exist everywhere in the vehicle, not just OBD2. The Lexus LX, whose theft cases are increasing rapidly, seems to have a weak point near the left front wheel.

I don't know, but I hear there's some sort of work order circulating among thieves groups. Looking at the video of the actual theft, it seems that the work is surprisingly easy.

If you access CAN, you can open the door normally by issuing an unlock instruction, and you can start the engine by instructing the starting sequence (procedure).

If you get in the car and run away, you're done. During this time, it seems to be 2-3 minutes for the thieves who are used to it.

For reference, it is surprising that in 2021, one in five Lexus LXs, of which only about 600 are registered in Aichi Prefecture, was stolen!

In addition to that, it seems that Rankle 200, Cygnus, Prado, Lexus RX, etc. have been stolen by CAN Invaders.

I wrote "likely" because the police don't give clear information. In order to start the engine with CAN, CAN must be analyzed.

This work usually costs about 30 million yen (according to a company that develops competition vehicles). Therefore, it is different if all car models can be stolen.

If you could publish a list of stolen vehicles and their status, I think we could create a variety of guard positions.

I want the police to disclose information!

[Image Gallery] Know your enemies first so you don't give in to crime!! Check out the new method of vehicle theft "CAN Invader" to save time!!! (6 photos) Image Gallery