Most people these days use remotes to unlock their cars; some even have remote starting capability. But how secure are these devices? Could a thief build some kind of transmitter that sends out all possible codes and opens up every car in a parking lot? Could someone with a scanner intercept someone’s remote code?
The article says the code is continually changed in both the remote and the car by means of a pseudo-random number generator. However, that still doesn’t stop someone from stealing it. If you know the formula and a number in the sequence, you should be able to predict the next number easily. As they say in cryptography, the first rule is “the enemy knows the system.”
I think it’s probably easier to pop the door with a slim jim than to design a gizmo to hack the remote control.
Car starters are pretty safe. The one I had would kill the motor at the lightest touch of the brake pedal if the key wasn’t in the ignition in the “on” position. Most cars will not come out of park unless the brake is depressed, so there’s another failsafe. No key, no out of park, no stolen car.