Sound-Proximity: 2-Factor Authentication against Relay Attack on Passive Keyless Entry and Start System

Passive keyless entry and start system has been widely used in modern cars. Car owners can open the door or start the engine merely by having the key in their pocket. PKES was originally designed to establish a communication channel between the car and its key within approximately one meter. However...

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Main Authors: Wonsuk Choi, Minhye Seo, Dong Hoon Lee
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2018-01-01
Series:Journal of Advanced Transportation
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2018/1935974
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author Wonsuk Choi
Minhye Seo
Dong Hoon Lee
author_facet Wonsuk Choi
Minhye Seo
Dong Hoon Lee
author_sort Wonsuk Choi
collection DOAJ
description Passive keyless entry and start system has been widely used in modern cars. Car owners can open the door or start the engine merely by having the key in their pocket. PKES was originally designed to establish a communication channel between the car and its key within approximately one meter. However, the channel is vulnerable to relay attacks by which attackers unlock the door even if the key is out of range. Even though relay attacks have been recognized as a potential threat for over ten years, such attacks were thought to be impractical due to highly expensive equipment; however, the required cost is gradually practical. Recently, a relay attack has been demonstrated with equipment being sold only under $100. In this paper, we propose a sound-based proximity-detection method to prevent relay attacks on PKES systems. The sound is eligible to be applied to PKES because audio systems are commonly available in cars. We evaluate our method, considering environments where cars are commonly parked, and present the recording time satisfying both usability and security. In addition, we newly define an advanced attack, called the record-and-playback attack, for sound-based proximity detection, demonstrating that our method is robust to such an attack.
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spelling doaj-art-bd99e097ece24640ad0e989fac3782ce2025-08-20T03:23:34ZengWileyJournal of Advanced Transportation0197-67292042-31952018-01-01201810.1155/2018/19359741935974Sound-Proximity: 2-Factor Authentication against Relay Attack on Passive Keyless Entry and Start SystemWonsuk Choi0Minhye Seo1Dong Hoon Lee2Graduate School of Information Security, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of KoreaGraduate School of Information Security, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of KoreaGraduate School of Information Security, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of KoreaPassive keyless entry and start system has been widely used in modern cars. Car owners can open the door or start the engine merely by having the key in their pocket. PKES was originally designed to establish a communication channel between the car and its key within approximately one meter. However, the channel is vulnerable to relay attacks by which attackers unlock the door even if the key is out of range. Even though relay attacks have been recognized as a potential threat for over ten years, such attacks were thought to be impractical due to highly expensive equipment; however, the required cost is gradually practical. Recently, a relay attack has been demonstrated with equipment being sold only under $100. In this paper, we propose a sound-based proximity-detection method to prevent relay attacks on PKES systems. The sound is eligible to be applied to PKES because audio systems are commonly available in cars. We evaluate our method, considering environments where cars are commonly parked, and present the recording time satisfying both usability and security. In addition, we newly define an advanced attack, called the record-and-playback attack, for sound-based proximity detection, demonstrating that our method is robust to such an attack.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2018/1935974
spellingShingle Wonsuk Choi
Minhye Seo
Dong Hoon Lee
Sound-Proximity: 2-Factor Authentication against Relay Attack on Passive Keyless Entry and Start System
Journal of Advanced Transportation
title Sound-Proximity: 2-Factor Authentication against Relay Attack on Passive Keyless Entry and Start System
title_full Sound-Proximity: 2-Factor Authentication against Relay Attack on Passive Keyless Entry and Start System
title_fullStr Sound-Proximity: 2-Factor Authentication against Relay Attack on Passive Keyless Entry and Start System
title_full_unstemmed Sound-Proximity: 2-Factor Authentication against Relay Attack on Passive Keyless Entry and Start System
title_short Sound-Proximity: 2-Factor Authentication against Relay Attack on Passive Keyless Entry and Start System
title_sort sound proximity 2 factor authentication against relay attack on passive keyless entry and start system
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2018/1935974
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