A lot of higher end cars are now coming out with RF fobs that unlock and start the car. There is no longer a physical key that is inserted in the ignition. According to a research by BMW this means stealing the cars is extremely easy for sophisticated criminals. The idea of the “classical” keys has for long relied on metal keys that also had a chip in them. Such a security system has always been secure enough to prevent car theft unlike a modern key-less alternative.

According to the search, a device like the one seen above can be attached to the On-Board Diagnostic port of the vehicle. It can then be used to program a new keyfob. This feature is originally available to facilitate replacing a lost or broken device, but it seems the criminals have found a way to hack into the system and do it themselves!  Most cars that have keyless systems already implemented ultrasonic sensors inside, designed to detect intrusion and immobilize the vehicle but even that can be circumvented.

Here is a video showing a key programming demo:

This video shows a real life keyless car theft incident taken by a security camera:

Source: jalopnik.com , hackaday.com