A senior tech executive has posted a YouTube video of his Tesla Model S being stolen on Sunday morning. The video captures two darkly dressed men stealing the car by hacking into the car's key fob with what appears to be a tablet. Antony Kennedy made the video after he posted about the theft on a Tesla forum and was accused of fabricating the story. A senior tech executive's video of his Tesla Model S being stolen is going viral on YouTube. Antony Kennedy, a manager at a big tech firm who lives in Essex, England, bought a Tesla Model S second-hand for £45,000 ($58,000) about nine months ago. He told Business Insider that, at 2 a.m. local time on Sunday, two men stole the car by hacking into the car's key fob with what appears to be a tablet. They did this by capturing its "passive entry" signal, which automatically unlocks the doors when the car is approached with the key. In fact, the thieves had more problems removing the Tesla's charging cable than entering the vehicle itself, as footage from Kennedy's doorbell camera and mounted security camera shows. Kennedy verified the footage by providing Business Insider with paperwork on his Tesla. Kennedy's video, including a blow-by-blow account of the crime, can be seen here: At the time of writing, the YouTube video has amassed more than 50,000 views. Kennedy said he made the video after he posted about the theft on a Tesla forum, and was accused of making the story up. "I got quite upset and that's why I made the video... to shut them up," he told Business Insider. Kennedy admits he did not activate Tesla's PIN to Drive feature, which could have prevented the theft. He wishes, however, that disabling remote access on Teslas was harder, as the thieves disabled the internet connection so neither Kennedy nor Tesla can now track the car. Tesla sent Business Insider a statement on how owners can secure their vehicles. A spokeswoman said: "Due to the growing number of methods that can be used to steal many kinds of cars with passive entry systems, not just Teslas, we've rolled out a number of security enhancements to help our customers decrease the likelihood of unauthorised use of their vehicles. "None of these options would be possible for any traditional automaker – our ability to update software over the air to improve functionality and security is unique. "We have issued several over-the-air updates to help protect our customers from thefts – last year we introduced an update that allows all customers to turn off passive entry entirely, and this year we introduced PIN to Drive, which allows customers to set a unique PIN that needs to be entered before their vehicle is driven." Kennedy reported the incident to Essex Police, but is pessimistic about ever seeing the car again. He said that after posting the video on Facebook, another Tesla owner sent him footage of two men attempting to steal his car in London a few months ago. Kennedy believes it to be the same suspects. Business Insider has contacted Essex Police and The Metropolitan Police for comment.<doc-sep>With cars becoming more connected than ever, cybersecurity is a hot-button topic that extends past your computer screen and into your car. Using a bit of technology, an alleged car thief was able to get his hands on a Model 3 at the Mall of America and drive away without needing a key. The alleged crime was reportedly committed via smartphone. A computer forensics specialist who commented on the happenings of the incident was able to narrow down just how the alleged stolen Tesla was taken with such reported ease. The person allegedly responsible for taking the car is believed to have reached out to Tesla's customer support to add the stolen Model 3 to his Tesla account by its vehicle identification number. Once the vehicle was accessible on a smartphone that was signed into this person’s account, he was reportedly able to unlock the car and drive away without ever needing a key. Several days later, the alleged car thief was tracked down and arrested in the stolen car in Waco, Texas, more than 1,000 miles south of its starting point in Minnesota. Since this person disabled GPS tracking on the car, the owner had to utilize a different method of tracking down the alleged crook. The owner tracked the location of the car's Supercharging and provided it to local authorities where they promptly located the car and arrested the man behind the wheel. The Tesla is owned by a company called Trevla, a Tesla rental company located inside of the Mall of America. The 21-year-old alleged car thief had previously rented vehicles from the company at least six times prior to the alleged theft, confirmed a local news station with the owner of the company. The owner also recalled this same person supposedly bragging about the extensive knowledge he held regarding Tesla's security systems, ultimately leading the rental company to suspect this particular regular customer when the vehicle came up missing. The automaker told Electrek that the alleged car thief likely had previously rented the vehicle and had an already-authenticated phone as a result. The owner of Trevla reportedly refuted this claim, stating that he had removed the phone's access following this person’s prior rental. At the time of writing, Tesla did not respond to The Drive's request for comment. Tesla has enabled keyless entry and driving in its vehicles for quite some time, enabling the convenience of driving using only one's phone is a luxury which most people have yet to experience just how insanely convenient it can be. Unfortunately, convenience can also be a point of entry from a cybersecurity perspective. The Model 3's primary use of entry and driving is a linked smartphone, using only a backup keycard to keep handy in a wallet or purse in case of emergencies. Though Tesla has the highest rate of theft recovery, it still looks to reduce the number of events which occur. Recently Tesla has addressed this problem by adding a PIN-to-drive function. This enables owners to require a PIN (in addition to a key fob or authenticated phone) before actually driving off with the vehicle.<doc-sep>Earlier this week, a Tesla owner in Essex, Great Britain, posted security camera footage of his Model S getting stolen by a pair of thieves who were able to unlock and start the car with a smartphone and a tablet. By hijacking the owner’s key fob, they were able to get in, turn on the car, disable remote tracking, and make off with his fancy ride! Advertisement While “keeping your Tesla safe” may be one the bougiest of problems we’ve ever tackled, many cars use keyless entry and thus present similar security issues. As The Verge points out, a number of car manufacturers, including Volkswagen and Mercedes, have had to contend with tech-sav vy car thieves exploiting security loopholes in their key fobs for years. So what can you do to keep your Musk-mobile safe? There are a couple to optimize Teslas to keep them safe from high-tech hijacking, and a couple of broader tips that will help keep any car with keyless entry safe. Enable “PIN to Drive” Earlier this year, Tesla added two-factor authentication to the Model S and Model X to block thieves who manage to spoof a key fob. Tesla’s PIN to drive feature requires drivers to type a four-digit code into the car’s central computer to start the engine. To activate PIN to Drive on a Tesla’s center screen, select Controls, then Safety and Security, and finally “PIN to Drive,” then follow the instructions. We always recommend using two-factor authentication whenever you can. Even in your car. Tesla forum users have expressed concern that a four-digit code feels guessable, especially if a thief is able to infer the digits in your passcode by looking at fingerprint smudges. That isn’t as big a concern as you might think — the central console is used for a plenty of things besides typing in your passcode, so it probably isn’t obvious which smudges are from you typing in your pin. Still, if you want to be absolutely certain, make sure to wipe down the touchscreen often. Or put on driving gloves before starting your car. Disable Keyless Entry If the video has you spooked to the point where you’re willing to sacrifice a little convenience in the name of security, Teslas give you the option to turn off keyless entry, which unlocks your doors when the fob gets close. Advertisement To disable keyless entry on the Tesla’s center screen, tap “security,” then “doors and handles.” From there, you can switch the “keyless entry” off. In the same menu, you can also disable the “auto-present handles” feature, which flips up the car’s door handles when your fob is in range. These are relatively minor preventative measures — Even without keyless entry, thieves can break into your car the old fashioned way, and they’ll still be able to start the car by spoofing the fob once they’ve let themselves in. Still, disabling keyless entry will make your car harder to steal and increase the chances that they get spotted in the process, so that’s something. Advertisement Store your keys in a Faraday Cage In the video, it appears that the thieves activated the car by finding the frequency used by the key fob using the phone and extending its detection range with a tablet. You can make it impossible for someone to clone your fob’s signal by putting your keys in a sealed metal container, a.k.a. a Faraday cage, which will block incoming and outgoing electronic signals. Advertisement It’s very easy to find or make your own RFID-blocking container. We’ve recommended using an Altoid tin as an RFID-blocking wallet in the past, which may also work well as a portable key case. You can turn any metal container into a Faraday cage by lining it with aluminum foil and sealing it with aluminum tape. If you want something more fashionable, you can always buy an RFID-blocking Faraday bag: There are a ton of them out there and Tesla forum-goers suggest that they generally work well. Advertisement Add a secondary GPS Teslas have a remote GPS tracking feature, which gives law enforcement a way to track the car, “Find My iPhone”-style. Unfortunately, as we likely saw in that video, that feature can be easily disabled by a thief once they’ve started the car. Advertisement If you want to ensure to give law enforcement a slightly better chance of finding the car, you can take the Tesla to a shop and install an after-market GPS tracker in/on your car. There are a many GPS devices available on Amazon, which either plug into your car’s OBD port or can stashed anywhere in the car. Most of them are pretty cheap — especially relative to the cost of a Tesla — though they saddle you with a monthly or annual fee for the service. There are ways for a careful car thief circumvent these trackers as well, such as a GPS jammer, but if they know that Teslas have built-in remote tracking, they may be less likely to take those steps. See? Car owners can be sneaky too. Advertisement Plug your car in Gif : Mike Epstein ( YouTube Advertisement The biggest hurdle to Tesla thieves in the video wasn’t an alarm or a fancy security feature —i t was the freaking charger! They spent more time trying to disconnect the Tesla from the house than breaking into the car. Since electric vehicles are not incredibly common and their maintenance is not ubiquitous, forcing a thief to unplug your car does double as a preventative security measure. This may not stop a knowledgeable and/or well-prepared thief, but it tripped up these guys and they seemed to have their shit together.<doc-sep>Four suspects in custody in connection with Friday theft, police say Four people were in custody Monday, accused of stealing a Telsa belonging to a Milwaukee Bucks executive during the team's Friday home opener, police confirmed to WISN 12 NEWS. Police said the keys were left in the 2018 Model X that's worth more than $100,000. The vehicle is owned by Alex Lasry, the Bucks' senior vice president and chairman of Milwaukee's bid committee for the 2020 Democratic National Convention. He declined to comment to WISN 12 NEWS about the theft, including whether or not he'd gotten his car back.Lasry's car was stolen from outside the Bucks' Schlitz Park offices while he and other team officials were a few blocks away at the Fiserv Forum where the Bucks were hosting the Indiana Pacers.The Bucks beat the Pacers 118-101. Four people were in custody Monday, accused of stealing a Telsa belonging to a Milwaukee Bucks executive during the team's Friday home opener, police confirmed to WISN 12 NEWS. Police said the keys were left in the 2018 Model X that's worth more than $100,000. Advertisement Related Content Tesla Model S is now the world's quickest car The vehicle is owned by Alex Lasry, the Bucks' senior vice president and chairman of Milwaukee's bid committee for the 2020 Democratic National Convention. He declined to comment to WISN 12 NEWS about the theft, including whether or not he'd gotten his car back. Lasry's car was stolen from outside the Bucks' Schlitz Park offices while he and other team officials were a few blocks away at the Fiserv Forum where the Bucks were hosting the Indiana Pacers. The Bucks beat the Pacers 118-101. This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.<doc-sep>
Tesla’s cars may be high-tech, but that doesn’t mean they’re foolproof when it comes to security. This fact is on display in a new video that shows, without the proper protections in place, that it’s not that hard to steal one of the company’s cars. The video shows two thieves skulking around a Model S at night while it’s parked in a driveway in the UK. Using a tablet and a phone in tandem, they eventually intercept the frequency used by the Tesla owner’s key fob, even though it was “at the back of the house,” according to the owner. The thieves then relay that signal to the car, tricking it into thinking that the owner was using the key fob to get in and drive. Thefts like these are a risk with just about any car that allows for keyless entry. (Volkswagen Group also struggled with this problem for a few years.) Tesla even warned owners in the UK about thefts like this one after a small rash of them happened earlier this year. There are a few specific protections the company makes available that could have stopped these thieves, though. @elonmusk My @tesla was stolen this morning, with just a tablet and a phone extending my fob range from the back of the house. I get that I should enabled PIN access. I wish it was harder for them to disable remote access though. I can’t track it or disable it. :( — Antony Kennedy (@booshtukka) October 21, 2018 Tesla recently rolled out a two-factor feature called “PIN to drive,” which requires a driver to enter a PIN code on the car’s touchscreen before it will go anywhere. The company also reminded owners that it’s possible (and safer, even if it’s less convenient) to turn off the “passive entry” feature, where the car automatically unlocks and opens its doors when it recognizes the owner approaching with the key fob. One way to prevent thefts like these is to keep your key fob in a “faraday pouch” when it’s not in use so that the signal can’t be intercepted in the first place. In this case, the owner admits that he didn’t have any of these protections in place, which is why his car was ultimately able to be stolen. Worse, the thieves seem to have found a way to disable remote access to the car, meaning neither he nor Tesla is able to track its location. One thing nearly did save his Model S, though: the car was charging at the time of the theft, and neither thief seemed to understand how to release the plug from the charge socket. After a few fussy moments, they finally figured it out, though not before both of their faces got caught by the camera on his connected doorbell. That the theft was captured on video — from start to finish, no less — is a helpful reminder that new technologies sometimes have a downside, and true security can’t be taken for granted.