This $30 device defeats almost any keyless car or garage door

You probably don’t think about thieves when you unlock your car, but Samy Kamkar certainly does. The security researcher known for his droll (and scary) hacks has created a device called “Rolljam” that cracks the wireless entry systems used by car- and garage-door makers. He demonstrated it at Defcon 2015, and here’s how it works. When a victim tries to remotely open their car with a fob, they’ll notice it didn’t work the first time. The second time will be the charm, but at that point, the thief will have stolen a code they can use to open your vehicle at their leisure.

Car makers came up with “rolling code” after thieves figured out how to wirelessly steal codes from early keyless devices. The system works by changing the code every time you use a fob, preventing it from being used a second time. In theory, that makes any stolen code useless to an attacker. As with many of his hacks, Kamkar’s workaround is simple yet ingenious. Rolljam blocks the remote signal from reaching the vehicle with a pair of radios, then uses a third one to record the wireless code.

My own car is fully susceptible to this attack. I don’t think that’s right when we know this is solvable.

Naturally, the mark will try to use the fob again, and once again, Rolljam will jam the signal and steal the second code. But this time, Kamkar’s device will re-transmit the first code and unlock the car, so the victim thinks everything’s alright. Since your vehicle didn’t receive the second code, however, it can now be used by Rolljam to unlock the vehicle anytime a thief wants. If the device is placed in proximity of a car or garage, it can keep stealing and retransmitting codes, ensuring it always has a fresh, working one.

Other researchers have built devices that can hack vehicle locks in a similar way, but Kamkar is the first to automate the method. His prototype worked on vehicles from Nissan, Ford, Toyota, Volkswagen and others, along with numerous brands of garage door openers. Car companies are aware of the issue, and many have switched to a new system where the codes expire quickly, defeating Kamkar’s system. But he told Wired that he released details of his attack at Defcon to force car and garage companies to upgrade older products as well. “My own car is fully susceptible to this attack. I don’t think that’s right when we know this is solvable,” he said.

[Image credit: Samy Kamkar]

Filed under:
Transportation, Wireless

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Via:
Wired

Source:
Defcon

Tags: car theft, hacking, keyless, samy kamkar, security, unlocking, vehicles

Micromax will kick off a no registration sale on the Yureka Plus in India later today

Micromax’s latest smartphone, the Yureka Plus, will be up for grabs later today from Amazon in India with a no registration necessary promo attached, meaning residents can pick one up for just INR 8,999 ($140) without having to wait in an online queue for the handset to become available or sign up to a 12-month contract. This deal will run today, tomorrow and end on Wednesday, August 12.

For those unaware, the Yureka Plus sports a 5.5-inch Full HD display, a 1.7GHz Snapdragon 615 processor, an Adreno 405 GPU, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of expandable internal storage, a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera, a 5-meagpixel selfie shooter, dual-SIM support and a 2,500mAh non-removable Li-Po battery.

If you’re based in India, like the sound of the Yureka Plus and want to pick one up — hit the source link below.

Source: Amazon

Come comment on this article: Micromax will kick off a no registration sale on the Yureka Plus in India later today

Eye tracking will help the paralyzed talk to the outside world

Those affected by locked-in syndrome are effectively cut off from the outside world. They’re paralyzed to the point where they can’t move or speak — in many cases, they might only have control over their eyes. Thankfully, technology might just use that remaining freedom to give these sufferers a voice. UC San Diego researchers are developing systems that use eye tracking for communication. One prototype, EyeHome, would have you navigating a phone-like interface by gazing at different parts of the screen. You’d look one way to dictate a message, or another to catch up on social networks. Other elements could include specialized e-book readers and even eye-guided musical instruments.

It’s still early going. The ball only really got rolling after a scientist challenged his students to invent solutions last fall, and the UCSD research team just recently received $300,000 in funding to help make this effort a reality. Prototypes already exist, however, which suggests that locked-in patients may soon reclaim some of their independence.

[Image credit: AP Photo/Jessica Hill]

Filed under:
Science

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Source:
UC San Diego

Tags: eyetracking, health, locked-insyndrome, medicine, paralysis, paralyzed, science, ucsandiego

Nano-sized ‘yolks’ should lead to longer-lasting batteries

Those eggs you might have had for breakfast? They’re not just food — they may be the key to longer-running batteries in your devices. Scientists at MIT and Tsinghua University have developed a nanoparticle battery electrode whose egg-like design is built to last. Their invention, which houses a shape-changing aluminum “yolk” in a titanium dioxide cell, can go through charging cycles without degrading like the graphite electrodes in conventional power packs. That could improve not only the overall longevity of the battery, but also its capacity and maximum power. You’d have gadgets that not only hold out for longer between charges, but don’t need to be replaced quite so often under heavy use.

This is still a lab experiment, but it’s closer to practical reality than you think. The manufacturing technique is simple, and these materials are relatively easy to find. The yolks already hold up well under stress, for that matter. Even with super-fast charging (which typically shortens a battery’s lifespan), a test unit had just over half its capacity after 500 cycles. So long as the team does get its tech into a shipping product, you could see a wave of hardware that reduces many of your energy-related woes, such as range anxiety in electric cars or phone batteries that die before you’re ready to upgrade.

[Image credit: Christine Daniloff/MIT]

Filed under:
Science

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Source:
MIT News

Tags: aluminum, battery, biomimicry, lithium-ion, lithiumion, mit, nanoparticles, science, TsinghuaUniversity

Epic App Battles of Android: week 2 summary

The dust has settled and our second round of Epic App Battles of Android has concluded. There were some winners and there were some losers and after the dust settled, there were only two left. Here is a summary of the battles.

1st Battle: Google Play Music vs. Tidal

Summary

This was a pretty close battle. Google won the app design category hands down for their easy to use interface and ease of finding something to listen to.

Both Google and Tidal came to the table with some pretty strong features. Google’s slightly larger music catalog, explicit search filter, and 50,000 song uploads on the free tier slightly edged out Tidal’s HiFi music streaming.

Tidal won in the pricing category, because while Google offers a free tier, Tidal has discounts.

In the end, Google wins this Epic App Battles of Android and advances to the next round.

Read the entire battle here.

2nd Battle: Spotify vs. Slacker

Summary

As much as it pains me to report this, down goes Spotify. The battle boiled down to the design differences. The Slacker team designed a drop-dead gorgeous application that is appealing, easy to use, and the menu transitions make navigation captivating. Spotify is still an amazing and well designed app with an abundant music selection but ultimately wasn’t as good as Slacker.  Slacker wins a close one.

Read the entire battle here.

Next week’s lineup

What do you think? Do you agree with our picks? Who do you think will win the last battle? Let us know in the comments.

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