Car theft with Nokia 3310 in one note in the US: The device is sold full of ‘online market’, car owners are afraid because there is no way to fix it

Recent car thefts in the US are linked to technology hidden inside Nokia phones and outdated Bluetooth speakers. This completely new method of car theft is growing in popularity in the US.

A YouTuber has “shown” this car theft skill under the supervision of Motherboard. He uses a Nokia 3310 to start a Honda car.

The man kept pressing the car start button. The car’s engine, of course, wouldn’t start while the red light was flashing because he didn’t have the key. However then he brought out a Nokia 3310.

Using a black cable, the man connects the phone to the car. He performed a few operations on the screen of the 3310, the screen displayed the words “connected, received data”. This person then tried to start it again, the engine blew up and the car showed a blue message.

Reports show that the technology sells for between $2,700 and $19,600 on various websites and Telegram channels.

Trying to play the role of the person buying the above Nokia 3310, Motherboard’s editor received information that the seller accepted payment by online money transfer, even digital currency. The device will be shipped to the US.

Another seller introduced a Bluetooth speaker with the JBL logo with the name: “JBL unlocked. No key needed.” According to this ad, the device can unlock a variety of Toyota and Lexus models.

Len Tindell, CTO of security firm Canis Labs, said the car theft device can also be used on Jeeps, Maserati and some other models.

According to the security researcher, this attack is called CAN (area control network) interference. Your Nokia 3310 phone or Bluetooth speaker will send fake connections, making your car mistaken for a smart key connection. At that time, the car will immediately receive the signal.

After disassembling these devices, Ian Tabor – Len Tindell’s colleague – found that the internal components cost only about 10 USD, with 1 CAN-related chip and the necessary CAN hardware and software.

According to Tindell, the most effective way to prevent this theft currently is to add cryptographic protections to CAN messages. Tindell said there is currently no way to overcome the new attack. The only remedy is for car suppliers to update vehicle software as soon as possible.