How do crooks steal Peugeot and Toyota cars using JBL wireless speakers?

Fraudsters in France have learned how to steal what are considered cyber-secure Peugeot and Toyota cars. All they need is a modified JBL Bluetooth speaker and just a minute of time.

The police learned about this method by accident: recently, near Paris, in the Seine and Marne, police arrested two suspects of car theft. While searching a stolen 2008 Peugeot, they found a modified Bluetooth speaker made by JBL, in which was flashed a software key "quick start", with which the suspects were able to start the car and steal them.

After opening and entering the car, the thieves connected the speaker with a USB cable to the car's audio system and were able to start it. The hijackers needed only about a minute to do all this.

On the black market such modified speakers, according to cybernews.com, are sold for 5000 euros. The price, of course, is not insignificant, but attackers quickly recoup their "investment" by stealing cars, each of which can cost $20,000.

The modified speaker is even accompanied by a YouTube video, which shows how to properly use the device. Fraudsters also claim the device can be used to hijack cars from other high-end brands, such as Toyota and Lexus.

This is far not a single case of car theft using modern technology. There have been quite a few recent cases when hijackers have used fraudulent software to unlock, start and steal cars without the original key.

This particular case is interesting because it was not easy to figure out, since a wireless speaker without a special technical expertise would not have aroused any suspicion among the police - today such speakers are carried by young people everywhere.