In the days when you needed a key to unlock the car door and start the engine, the fear was that someone would copy the key and steal your car. Then came keyless entry systems which did away with the key so it could not be copied. But again, the thieves could still steal the car – by using special devices which could pick up the unlock codes and allow them to access the car as well as deactivate the immobiliser system.

Now, for Kia owners in the UK, there is an option that can give them security against such a vulnerability. Owners of models with a keyless entry system can purchase the KiaSafe case which has been developed to stop thieves using relay attack devices to obtain the frequency from the car key.

Faraday cage concept
The case acts in a similar way to a Faraday cage, eliminating this possibility with a layer of meshed metal within that blocks the device the thieves use from picking up signals. This idea is also used for wallets and backpacks to protect thieves from stealing information from personal documents such as passports and credit cards by blocking the ‘skimmer’ devices from accessing the RFID chips.

The KiaSafe accessory is the result of efforts by Kia’s R&D engineers to ensure find ways to ensure that keyless entry systems are rendered as close as possible to be impervious to such attacks. It is currently sold in the UK for £9.99 (about RM52).

“The security of our customers’ vehicles comes second only to safety and we are as concerned about the hacking of keyless entry systems as customers, the police and the insurance industry,” said David Hart, Customer Experience Manager at Kia Motors UK.

“Whilst our current keyless entry systems do not have ‘sleep’ buttons, our engineers are developing additional levels of protection for future vehicles and these will be applied as soon as is feasible given production schedules and new model introductions. We encourage owners to adopt protection behaviours as advised by the police – such as not leaving keyless entry fobs in the front door area of their home or close to windows – and to use the KiaSafe to ensure their key fobs are rendered safe from hacking,” he advised.