Auto industry begins to see repercussions from use of NFC technology
NFC technology may be a new addition to the marketing and commerce industries, but this is not the case with the auto industry. Automakers have been making use of NFC technology since its debut in 2004. The technology is often used as a form of contactless entry or engine starter for luxury vehicles. The auto industry has continued its use of NFC by introducing the technology to a new generation of keys and keychains. These keys are equipped with NFC chips that enable them to accomplish a number of tasks, but could also make stealing a vehicle much easier for intrepid thieves.
Thieves begin building their own NFC keys and keychains to steal cars
The keys and keychains themselves have little no to security features, making them ideal targets of theft. Once stolen, the keys could be used to enter a vehicle that is locked using NFC technology. Stealing keys appears to be too unsophisticated for some criminals, however, and some in the United Kingdom have begun developing their own NFC keys that mimic those already held by drivers. These tech-savvy thieves have been able to exploit some of Europe’s competition rules concerning automakers.
European competition rules may have created a backdoor for theft
These rules indicate that security reprogramming devices are to be made available to non-franchised garages. Thus, automakers cannot restrict the availability of the security technologies that go into manufacturing vehicles. Because this technology is not restricted, those with the some degree of technological knowledge can make use of them to bypass the security features of a vehicle. Thus, rules that are meant to provide consumers with some degree of convenience are also providing thieves with unintended assistance in committing crimes.
Technology not inherently prone to exploitation
Security has long been a concern with NFC technology. Though the technology itself is not inherently prone to exploitation, the systems that make use of it are often riddled with loopholes that allow those with dubious intentions to make use of it.
