A Toronto cybersecurity expert says it only takes 1 minute for car thieves to break into your car using this common tactic.

A Toronto-based cybersecurity expert is warning residents about thieves stealing cars through their headlights amid an increase in car thefts across the country.

According to the Insurance Bureau of Canada, more than 105,000 vehicles will be stolen across Canada in 2022. That's the equivalent of one car being stolen every five minutes.

A tactic used by many thieves these days is known as a CAN injection attack. It's a simple step that takes an interconnected computer network inside vehicles to ultimately control the vehicle's ignition system.

In an interview with Now Toronto, Frances Sims, a cybersecurity expert and associate dean at Humber College, describes exactly how thieves execute this tactic.

“…Aggressors access the car through the front headlight, maybe on the left side, maybe on the right side. I think the idea is something like this. “When they puncture a headlight or break a headlight, they can connect to the car's electrical system,” he says.

“A car's electrical system is like your home network… and the way it works is when attackers connect to the network through a beacon, which is called authentication, they become effectively a trusted connection. So once they're online, they can do everything, they can start the car, they can turn the alarm off and on, they can unlock the doors,” he continued.

READ MORE: 'We're coming after you,' Ford warns car thieves to be careful as it announces $121 million in funding to fight gun and gang violence.

With this tactic, Syms says, a thief doesn't need a key or an immobilizer to break into a car. According to the expert, this is a popular tactic as cars become increasingly digital and have a centralized network. As a result, thieves are looking for a technical solution to get into their car.

“All these high-tech gadgets and attributes of cars require sophisticated ways to communicate and control… So I think that's part of the reason we're continuing. “Basically, cars are computers now and that's part of the problem and our computers are going to break, cars are going to break,” he said.

One of the reasons car thieves use this strategy so much is because of how easy it is. Syms points out that most thieves use this tactic first because it's one of the easiest and most vulnerable ways to gain access to a vehicle.

“What we've seen is people can punch a hole through a headlight or break a headlight … and within about a minute they can open the car doors and get into the car,” he said.

MUST KNOW TACTICS

In addition to the CAN injection attack, Syms mentioned other classic tricks that car owners should know about. The first is that after thieves steal a key from someone's home, they try to recreate it.

A second way for thieves to gain access is to purchase a device that mimics what a key fob can do. According to him, the tool is similar to hacking a safe in that it uses all possible codes to find the unlock code for the selected car model.

“It's a brute force type of attack where the problem is they can sit for half an hour before they can get into the car until they find the right code. But this is another strategy that they use apart from the traditional strategy of trying to break into the car and forcefully connect the car,” he explained.

TIPS TO PREVENT YOUR VEHICLE FROM BEING STOLEN

To help protect your vehicle from theft, here are three preventative measures you can take to increase your security.

“Use an RFID bag for your key, which is a secure bag and you can buy it on Amazon for $5-10. And then when you put your keys in that bag, they can't communicate with anything outside of the bag. So it's a good security strategy,” says Sim.

Additionally, he recommends buying a steering wheel or brake lock to make it harder for thieves to drive away.

In addition, he tells car owners that there are many accessories available to help deter theft of their vehicles, but before adding them to your car, he urges you to check with your car dealer or manufacturer to make sure they're allowed.

“The problem is, when you install some of the anti-theft devices, it voids your car's warranty, and it makes it harder for you to get service… Those are the three things that people use the most, the steering brake. lock, a faraday bag to protect their fob and a wheel lock,” he said.

WHAT TO DO TO REPAIR CAR THEFTS

Last week, the federal government announced it would fight auto theft by investing $28 million in the investigation and analysis of stolen vehicles.

This is on top of the government's $121 million investment to fight gun and gang violence in Ontario, which includes organized crime and auto theft through the Initiative to Combat Gun and Gang Violence (ITAAGGV).

However, Syms says the government should target manufacturers to reduce car theft.

“I think the government should introduce some regulation on manufacturers. Ultimately, the reason these cars get stolen is because they're easy to break into, plug in, and drive. “The manufacturer needs to do a better job of making sure that it's harder for someone to start the car without a key or that there's a better way to authenticate the person who's in the car,” Syms said.