Authorities in Europe dismantle the car theft gang that tried to steal thousands of vehicles across three countries using keyless software.
According to PC Mag, police in France, Spain, and Latvia arrested 31 suspects relating to the use of keyless entry systems for car theft.
Europol Sends Out A Notice To The Public
The European police have caught the organized crime group which targets electronic vehicles using keyless entry systems from two French automakers on October 10.
The law enforcement say that the system was marketed as an automotive diagnostic solution to replace the original software of the vehicles.
The car manufacturers have already been working on updating their systems to avoid being targeted by criminals once again, according to police reports.
The fraudulent tool used by the thieves claims that it allow car doors to open automatically, and ignite cars without the actual key fob, PC Mag writes.
In light of the crime, the authorities have released a notice saying that the service has been seized, suggesting that the tool was accessed online, likely through dark web marketplaces.
However, Europol has declined to give other details about what was exploited to hack into the vehicles, and the names of the two automotives companies involved in the crime.
The law enforcement agencies also did not share how the criminals managed to install the malicious software through blank keys that replicated the system keys, Help Net Security writes.
Read More: Some Honda, Acura Models Affected by Vulnerability That Lets Hackers Unlock and Start the Car
The Police Investigation Reveals A Few More Details About The Bust
The French law enforcement agency cyber arm Gendarmerie initiated a car theft investigation following the events of the bust.
This investigation was carried out through the financial support of the Internal Security Fund SWORD, and the European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats.
During the investigation, the French police acquired servers that revealed 53,000 connections the crime group had, giving authorities an idea of the scale of criminal activity.
According to CNet, among the suspects arrested were software developers, resellers of the software, and actual car thieves who conspired to execute the crimes.
These car thieves allegedly bought resources from reseller tablets, software and connectors that allowed them to modify the embedded systems of many vehicles, Help Net Security says.
Gendarmerie also says that the French police have also searched 22 locations where they were able to confiscate €1,098,500 of suspected criminal assets.
According to a press release by Europol, they have been backing this case since March 2022 with an extensive analysis and dissemination of intelligence to countries affected by the crime.
Currently, a number of joint operational meetings are already ongoing between organizations at the Europol headquarters to decide on how to proceed with the investigation.
Europol mobile police offices have also been deployed to assist in the investigative measures, while the agency is facilitating cross-border judicial efforts across European countries.
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