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Comment by cestith | Hacker News Reader

Remote start is a safety issue, not just a security one. It doesn't take much to imagine replaying the start command while a vehicle is in an attached garage.

Remote unlock is a safety issue for assaults.

Thankfully according to https://owners.honda.com/Linked-Content/PDF/RemoteEnginestar... the remote engine stop doesn't work if the engine was started with the ignition key rather than the remote.

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I agree about the remote start, but I’m dubious about the remote unlock being an issue for assaults in practice. I think if someone is planning to violently attack someone, going through the window is going to be the most common path taken.

It’s like home invasions. Perhaps someone might pick your weak lock or hack your smart lock, but in practice they usually just break a window or kick the door in.

Imagine being able to come up to anyone, open their car door, shove them over into the passenger seat while threatening them with a gun, start the car and drive away. Could probably do this in a busy street without anyone noticing.

You’d have to stalk them first when they opened and started the car earlier. This is a replay attack, you need to be around to record the original.

Should be easy enough to do in a shopping mall. Maybe plant a few recording devices around the parking lot and replay all of them, if you want to get extreme.

It’s possible, but not likely. You’re describing a very sophisticated attack for a violent crime, especially since the typical attack involves nothing more complicated than a sawed off shotgun pointed at the driver.

It should still be fixed, but this strikes me as something that’s more likely to be used by a state or quasi-state level actor to take out a high value target more than something that’ll be used to randomly assault people at the mall.

Yeah, it seems more like a mission impossible or heist movie plot device than a common crime.

The scenario I first imagined was a kidnapping or sexual assault by a stalker. Lying in wait in someone's car when they leave work or the gym may be a TV trope, but it's not inconceivable as a real attack method.

You can do that right now with any car on the road. Guns break windows easily and people aren’t going to risk their lives for a set of keys, they will let you have the car and whatever else.

Guns are also loud and people notice them. Just casually opening the door and getting in is different.

Guns are loud, and you’d be amazed how many people’s first response is “not my problem”.

Fwiw, on current Hondas the engine will only run for a set period, I believe 10 mins, unless the fob is used to reset the timer or the driver enters the cabin with the fob and presses the brake and start button.

I own a 2020 Honda and I wish this was true. I have left the car on for 8+ hours before while being miles away. I’m in shock this wasn’t addressed and it’s my biggest gripe in the car.

I own a 2021 Honda and it definitely shuts off after 10 mins for me.

For remote start, my 2018 Civic shut off after ~10 minutes. According to the sibling comment, their 2021 was similar. Did you have an aftermarket remote start, or was it started using the actual ignition switch in the car in your case?

> while a vehicle is in an attached garage.

Carbon monoxide being present is an assumption in the perspective of the building codes. This is why attached garages must have ventilation to outside, doors with gaskets, etc. There’s some danger, but the codes were made for the case where people forget and leave their car running, which isn’t all that uncommon.

Lots of houses aren't up to code. I bought a house with an in-wall AC venting from a bedroom into the garage, no gaskets on the door to the house, and a workbench built over the venting to the outside. I fixed those; contractor said that all 3 was somewhat uncommon, but any one of those isn't that uncommon.

I agree that this can be a problem. I disagree that it would be a problem of any significance.

> Remote unlock is a safety issue for assaults.

Remote unlock actually doesn't work on [most?] Honda vehicles if the engine is running.

The issue with remote unlock is that someone can enter the vehicle while it is off and wait inside.

Both Lock and Remote Engine Start are considered as safety relevant in automotive.

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