Verizon’s Vehicle Diagnostic kit by Delphi security question.

Hello, guys! I’d like to install a Verizon’s Vehicle Diagnostic kit by Delphi in my car, but first, I’ve decided to check whether it is safe enough. I’m worried about remote start and the fact that I can use my smartphone to lock and unlock the car, I need to know whether it is possible that someone may use that to steal my car?

The electronic “fratricide” has intensified, with more and more cases of jamming wifi disrupting coalition radios and even radio links to unmanned aerial vehicles. More soldiers have turned off their CREW systems rather than risk disrupting their radios; rumors were circulating that jammers were blowing up IEDs.

The US Navy has the only operational tactical scramble fighters in the world, but the AN / ALQ-99 pods they rely on use analog technologies, are difficult to maintain and have reliability issues. Fully digital technologies and modern transmission / reception electronics offer tremendous advances in capacity and availability, which is why the US Army is working on a replacement of the Next Generation Jammer (NGJ) for its tactical pods .

The weakest point of that gadget is a smartphone connection. Modern smartphones have lots of vulnerabilities and you are able to run that device via iOS or Android app. You can access vehicle’s data, lock and unlock it and start the engine remotely. The problem lies in the fact, that hackers may be able to crack that connection, because the device uses vulnerable 2.4 GHz frequency to sync with the smartphone.

In that case it would be much better either to avoid that device, or use it together with a Wi-Fi signal jammer. That will make sure that even if your mobile phone or tablet will be hacked, no one will be able to use that to hijack your car. Also that simple measure will allow you to protect your smartphone and all the data it contains, because Wi-Fi and bluetooth are widely used for smartphone hacking.