Automobile thieves are becoming increasingly tech-savvy, and among the victims is our dear David Beckham. Two of his BMW X5 ($60,000 each) were stolen from him in the past six months, which I assume is mere inconvenience than any real loss.
Did our football star forget the locks? No, it is because the BMW X5 is equipped with a keyless entry and ignition system, which the thieves had managed to hack into and decrypted it.
“It’s difficult to steal cars with complex security, but not impossible. There are weaknesses in any system,” Tim Hart of the Auto Locksmith Association told the U.K.’s Auto Express magazine. “At key steps the car’s software can halt progress for up to 20 minutes as part of its in-built protection,” said Hart.
Food for thought. We all know that the internet is a great place for myriads of information, both good and bad. How long will it take for a particular keyless entry system to get hacked and the procedures shared on the web? Previously, one has to either smash the windows or pick the lock. With wireless technology, the notebook-toting thief could now hide comfortably behind the car and do his deed. Suddenly, the good old key-and-lock looks so much safer than these high-tech doodads.
May 6th, 2006 at 9:43 am
I don’t get why they stole those cars, i mean there are tons of cars worth way more than that, that are probably more worth stealing…
May 8th, 2006 at 7:57 pm
Jay, an exprienced theif knows very well that if he tells his gang-buddy he stole that X5 from David Beckham himself, the car’s price will soar by u at least.
A.H
May 10th, 2006 at 5:07 am
who cares? beckham is rich he can probably buy 10 bmws if he wnated to
February 21st, 2007 at 5:23 am
This story is riddled with inaccuracies. The X5s Beckham owned did not have the keyless entry/ignition system known as BMW comfort access. Those years it was not offered on the X5. One X5 was customized to include a keypad for enabling the ignition. This aftermarket security system may have been hacked after gaining entry to the vehicle. The X5s were never recovered so no one knows how the cars were stolen. It could have been a quick-latch tow vehicle similar to repo tow trucks. It funny how one person can write an inaccurate story on the internet and many other people pick it up as real news without verifying any facts.