The modern vehicle is a marvel of technology, to be sure, but it still has a few areas where it’s defenseless. Here’s a locksmith’s perspective on reasons why your modern car might be vulnerable to criminals with bad intentions.

     1. Keys Fail

There are multiple types of auto keys – fobs, remotes, etc. – and all have the potential to break or fail. Batteries only last for so long and other issues can block the signal between your key and vehicle (which we’ll cover more below). The problem with many modern vehicles is they don’t have a backup/emergency key option in case the main key fails. When this happens, your vehicle is vulnerable to thieves, whether the car is running or not. (Also, looking for a backup key or attempting to enter your vehicle yourself can attract criminals, so be careful.)

     2. Technology Leads to Hackers

There never used to be a problem with email phishing scams before the invention of email. But now that it’s here, there are email-related security issues we have to deal with all of the time. The same goes for cars. Now that there is new technology being implemented, new criminal techniques are being adopted as well. The more technology your vehicle utilizes, the more opportunities hackers have to upload a virus, take control of the vehicle or get information.

     3. Signals Can Malfunction

As mentioned above, many key fobs or remotes communicate with your vehicle wirelessly. These transmissions or signals can get interrupted under the right conditions, such as computer interruptions, electronics failure or something physically getting in between the fob/remote and car. This is a bigger issue than you might think, as signal malfunctions can lead to disabled features and increased security risks.

     4. No Single Gatekeeper

One security risk many people don’t know about happens behind the scenes. You see, many modern vehicles utilize a variety of technologies. The problem? These are often separate technologies with different providers and were developed by different companies. As such, there’s no single gatekeeper in control to allow these technologies to communicate with each other seamlessly and enforce strict protocols. There’s no ideal solution for this area (other than interviewing the dealer or manufacturer of the vehicle to better understand the technology package), so just keep this area of automobile security in mind. 

If you’re interested in improving the security of your automobile, contact A-1 Locksmith today at (972) 284-7500 to go over your best options.

Let’s go over these risks in more detail and explain why they’re problematic, then go over some security tips to follow when you’re posting anything online. 

The Biggest Security Risks of Posting Online

As alluded to above, vacation posts are one of the biggest culprits when it comes to divulging sensitive information online. This is because criminals know there isn’t anyone at home. Also, many people don’t know that the visibility of their posts may be set to public, meaning anyone with a computer can see them. Even if you only have friends connected to your social media accounts, their accounts can be compromised and your information shared. (On a related note, keeping your lawn maintained is a wise idea to prevent the appearance of being on vacation.)

The second-biggest security risk of online posts has to do with your profile. Many users include information they really shouldn’t, such as addresses, cities or places of employment. If something is personal don’t include it in your profile information and make your profile private, if possible. And don’t update your profile section to say you’re on vacation, either!

Best Practices for Posting Online

There are other risks, of course, but if you follow best practices for posting online, you’ll minimize the risk of your safety and security being compromised. Here are a few examples of best practices to follow when posting online:

• Avoid posting from the airport, as your location can potentially be tracked.
• Try not to share photos of your vacation until after you get back.
• Don’t allude to trips during the most popular travel days or seasons.
• Resist urges to share your location online in general (or where you’re headed).
• Avoid posting about events, especially if they involve children.
• Don’t post details about what car you drive, what school your children attend and any other information you wouldn’t want a stranger knowing.

If you’re interested in additional security tips like the ones we’ve outlined in this blog post, contact A-1 Locksmith today at (972) 284-7500.