Maybe you like taking pictures of items and posting them online on your favorite social media outlet(s). Maybe you got a new car and just have to put the key fob online to show your friends. Or maybe you got a new keychain and decided to take a pic and send it out to the world via the Internet.
2020 is a wild year already but would it make things a bit crazier if you found out that putting pictures of your keys online can be a security hazard for you and your loved ones?
There are several ways you can make a copy of a key without the key itself. Producing a duplicate from a photo of the key is one such way. If you post a picture of your house or car keys online, a potential thief can use relatively simple technology to study the key grooves and produce a replacement based on the key you have posted online. And if you have a key fob, there’s a chance it can be copied if it’s stored incorrectly, too. If a thief know your address or location of your car, they may be able to rob you using the key that they made.
Copying A Key From A Photo
A person can view your key online and make a copy using a scan of your key along with an actual blank key that has yet to be cut. Using a photo software app makes it much quicker and even a rough, duplicate of your key that isn’t a 100% match may work especially if your lock is old and worn or is of a cheap quality.
While the process isn’t necessarily as easy as it sounds, a person with experience doing this may not have much trouble. You take a chance of being robbed simply because you wanted to show your keys online.
Do Not Duplicate Keys
You may have come across keys with Do Not Duplicate stamped in easy to read letters on the bow of the key which is the part that you hold in your hand as you’re using a key to open a lock. Unless the key is actually illegal to reproduce – like a US post office key for example – the Do Not Duplicate lettering is just a request, not a legally enforceable law.
While some key makers such as chain stores may not reproduce such a key to avoid getting bad press or a reputation, it’s probably not too difficult to find a locksmith who is willing to do it. In other words a Do Not Duplicate key offers no special level of security and if anything might offer a false sense of security if you happen to believe that you’re somehow protected.
A Restricted key on the other hand is a legally protected key that can’t be reproduced. This designation is given to specially patented locks and systems so that you can’t circumvent the manufacturer and owner of the patent. Most keys – house keys, car keys – don’t fall into this category however.
Car Key FOB
Most modern cars no longer produce actual car keys per se but rather a fob or other integrated battery-operated device that slides into the ignition to start the car. In 2008, 11%
of vehicles were sold with keyless entry systems. Just a decade later in 2018, that number was up to 62%.
And the rate at which cars are being stolen continues to go up, too. Could this have something to do with the keyless entry systems? Can this remote keyless system be copied like a house key?
Copying a car key fob isn’t as simple as taking a photo from a website because a fob operates with a Radio-frequency identification (RFID) system to unlock the door and trunk and to start the car. But they can be copied albeit in a different way.
Using cheap, easy to find relay boxes, two people are needed to pull off the scam. The boxes are able to pick up the radio frequency from your car fob even if it’s inside your house near the door on a key rack, in the drawer by the front door or even still in your coat pocket or purse. Essentially one person uses their relay box to pick up the frequency from your fob and it relays the frequency to the second person who is standing next your car in your driveway holding the second box. Once the signal reaches the second box, the car thinks the car owner is holding the fob, and the door unlocks and can be driven away.
Protection Against RFID Theft
There are several ways to protect against RFID theft involving your key fob. While some people suggest sticking your fob inside a metal container like a freezer or fridge, that sounds a bit excessive especially since some car fobs are $200+ to replace. Instead, you can do a few other things.
Use your garage. If you have a garage, store your car inside. Thieves would need to break into your garage to then access your car and that’s assuming they even know you have a car that is worth stealing.
Store key fobs away from your car. Rather than leaving your fob on the wall key holder right inside the garage door or by the front door close to your car, store your car fob as far away from your car as possible. Bring it upstairs in your bedroom or whatever room is farthest away from your car.
Tin foil. Some claim that storing a fob inside tightly wrapped tinfoil stops relays from accessing your fob.
The Club: Remember the device you attach to your steering wheel to prevent the car from being steered if stolen? You can still buy them. It’s a cheap and visible way for a potential thief to see that even if they enter your car, they won’t be able to immediately drive it away.
Buy a car GPS: Attach it underneath the car where it can’t be seen. This won’t prevent your car from being stolen but it might help the police locate it quicker if it does.