Electronic
immobilisers have been
highly successful in
cutting down
car thefts. But
security experts fear
that skilled thieves
could 'crack' an
immobiliser if the
code sent to the
engine control were
intercepted by a
hidden receiver.
Siemens in Germany is
using cryptography to make
immobilisers
even more secure. A
microchip in
the engine's control
unit sends a
random number to the
ignition key.
This activates a
'cryptoalgoritbm' which computes
a response
using a random number
and a secret
code, which is then
transmitted
back to the engine's
control unit. If
the challenge and
response match,
the immobiliser is
disabled and the
engine starts.
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