Car Radios: Security Lessons

Original author: Ernie Smith
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Car radios have historically been valuable items, and easy prey for thieves - and they can easily be seen in the car. Why has the situation changed?

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$ 40 million - so much, according to an alliance of American insurers, insurance companies paid in cases of theft of car radios in 1969, according to an article in the 1970 New York Times. The problem of theft of radio tape recorders took the insurers by surprise, the newspaper noted, and at first the insurers did not even know how to process these applications, which began to arrive in the 1960s. “Even full-time models could only be removed by unscrewing a few bolts, and it took no more than three minutes,” said John Wrend, manager of the loss alliance bureau for the insurance alliance. “The thief even had time to rip out the speakers and crack the glove compartment in search of audio tapes.”

Since the 1930s, radio tape recorders have a rich history, known for supporting innovation - because music, as the iPod proved ten years ago, is a good way to win an audience. But, like white headphones in 2004, car radios attracted attention. They showed easy prey in the car, which was easy to notice whether the radio was catchy or simple and practical.

In the early years, radios were just radios. But gradually improvements began to appear - from the “search” button to 8-channel players and tape decks , and with this the risk of theft increased. In the 80s and 90s, things were really bad. In a 1983 article in the New York Times, it was reported that New York police found $ 115,000 in stolen car radio in two months.



And today it’s easy to find videos with theft of radio tape recorders on YouTube. For example, in the video, the guy managed to open the car and steal the radio in just 10 seconds. Such videos represent the theft of radio tape recorders as a very easy task, and also wean you from storing valuable items in a car.



Such things cause suffering to car owners, however, watching other videos can help them - for example, this video tells the story of a man who caught up with a couple of thieves and handed them over to the police. He returned his radio. Of course, it would be much better if car owners did not have to chase thieves.

In a sense, the problem with the radio is their location - they are conveniently placed in order to control them, while you are exceeding speed while racing along a long stretch of highway. But this arrangement makes them an easy target. Therefore, radio tape recorders are an interesting topic from a security point of view. For their safety, many interesting ideas were tested.



Five examples of car radio security


1. The theft of radio tape recorders, which was rapidly developing already in the 70s, led to the appearance of various tricks. For example, the removable player from Kustom Kreations (pictured above) works in different places — at home, on a boat or in a car — without the need for wires.

2. The company Pioneer in 1989 introduced the first removable panel, and this technology is remembered by many car owners. Other companies worked in the same direction, but at first only Pioneer was successful. "The panel of the Pioneer radio is completely removed, and the device remains in a form that can be confused with the complete absence of installed equipment," wrote in 1990 in the New York Times .

3.Anti-theft alarms were gaining popularity at about the same time as universal radios, so the appearance of a combined device was only a matter of time. In 1985, Sanyo introduced Viper , which worked both as a radio and as an alarm.

4. In later devices, especially standard ones, security codes were used that allowed the owner to use the radio tape recorder only. The problem was that after several sales of a used car these codes were lost.

5. If the removable panel cannot be dispensed with, it is always possible to adapt a fake panel. False panels, such as the Incognito Car Stereo Disguise Kit , are made to look cheap, while an expensive radio is hidden under them.One youtuber demonstrated a similar device of its own manufacture.


What lessons can be learned in modern security systems from removable panels for audio receivers


Today, several metaphors come to mind related to security systems like a removable panel - a phenomenon that was recognized in the 90s. In a sense, it looks like two-factor authentication, or a keychain for car alarms. You will not be able to listen to your favorite music without a socket. But this is not the only example inspired by the radio.

2003 book, Fearing: Reasoning for Security in a World of Uncertainties"[Beyond Fear: Thinking Sensibly About Security in an Uncertain World] Security Specialist Bruce Schneier compares access panels to devices that prevent theft of clothing in the store and spills paint on it if it is stolen. He calls this form of security" cancellation of benefits. "If you stole something, it becomes useless. But Schneier, as a specialist, sees the shortcomings of this approach.

" A lot of countermeasures such as labels with paint on clothes are based on the security of systems for removing labels, he writes in his book. - If thieves gain access to a mustache roystvu for their removal, this countermeasure is not activated There are other limitations:. Even if you shoot a car panel, leaving the car, some thieves easier to just break the glass than the first, to make sure that inside there is a tape recorder. "

But still, this strategy is quite effective, since today there is one of its options in smartphones - the ability to erase information from a stolen device remotely and make it impossible to use it without a username and password. As a result, new smartphones steal less often , since they are useless without their owner.

Removable panels are the best known solutions to prevent theft, but it was only a transitional solution to this problem. This solution appeared in the auto industry, which, as noted in an article in 2009, accidentally solved the theft problem through the complex integration of the audio system into the car. It is pointless for a thief to steal an audio radio that works in only one type of car.

“Few thieves can offer the installation of a navigation system, video and audio with a retractable screen, a Bluetooth interface that works on fiber optic cables,” writes NPR resource journalist Laura Sullivan . “And the right system should include OnStar and a wireless router.”

Since the writing of that article, machines have become even more complex and advanced. As a result, today it’s easier to remove the passenger seat from the car than the audio system. If we add to this that smartphones today are better at playing music, it will become clear that the black market of stolen audio receivers is rapidly disappearing.

The solution, of course, is not perfect. For thieves can open up other ways to cause trouble. Maybe they decide to steal cars entirely. Maybe a digital brain with Ethernet support will open a new path for attacks on cars through computer hacking. But the transition to device integration teaches us an important safety lesson: sometimes the best way to ensure security is to completely eliminate the problem itself. You cannot steal an audio system if you do not know where it is installed.

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