What if the High-Tech C7 Corvette Were Hacked?

By Detroit Steel - May 4, 2015

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As cars like the C7 Corvette become more high-tech, they become more prone to the same issues that affect most of the other gadgets we’ve come to depend on in our lives, like being hacked.

The issue has sparked an interesting conversation in a Corvette Forum thread titled “The Cold Truth Car Thieves Don’t Want you to Know“ posted by member, Arkay. In the thread, it’s noted that some people have been keeping their key fobs in the freezer to protect them from being hacked by would-be car thieves.

At the core of the high-tech break-ins are these inexpensive devices called power amplifiers, which wirelessly call out to unlock car doors.

Most of the discussion on Corvette Forum stems from a Seattle Times article that suggests keeping fobs in the freezer to protect the devices from being decoded.

The hacking devices, which have automakers stumped, have also been featured in a CNN report, as seen in the video below.

In the thread, member Drews60 says that he read reports that suggest storing keys fobs in a metal box. “I guess the metal box acts as an rf shield blocking signals,” he writes.

Member Kliph posted another remedy in the thread. “Or just wrap the FOB in tinfoil,” he wrote.

However, there seems to be a few members that aren’t putting much stock in the reports.

“For this to work the fob signal back to the car would have to be amplified as well. How is that gonna happen?” asked member EVRose.

Either way, I think member Airmed2 might have the best advice for handling the situation, which is making sure you have good insurance on your Corvette.