I’m going to run through the whole process of evaluating the factory security system of a new vehicle, through to making any security upgrades, and explain why I think they are needed.
When I say “new” I mean a vehicle that is new to me. Not necessarily a brand new car from the showroom. To do this I’ll have a look at my 10 year old Honda Vezel which was made in 2015.
The Vezel is was is also known as an HR-V. The 2nd generation model was produced from 2013 to 2022
Before getting stuck in, we need to work out if there is a factory alarm. It’s a good idea to have a quick read through the vehicle user manual if you have one. Sadly my one is in Japanese!
Testing your vehicle for alarm and deadlocks
Find a still location (preferably not windy) Or try this if you live in Wellington!
Leave the drivers window open and lock the car with the remote. Pay attention to to see if there is any visual indication that the car may have an alarm such as a flashing LED, plus make a note of any beeps. Make sure that you don’t make any movement near the open window at this stage.
After 60 seconds reach in through the window and wave your hand. If no alarm sounds then you probably don’t have ultrasonic sensors. Note: Some German vehicles disable the ultrasonic sensors if a window is left open.
If no alarm has sounded move on to open the drivers door using the internal handle. Some cars require you to use the internal snib lock or switch before you can use the door handle. If you can’t open the doors then the car has deadlocks. Note: Some vehicles require you to press the remote lock button twice to activate the deadlocks.
Testing the alarm for easy defeats
You should now know if your vehicle has an alarm or not, If it does not then you may wish to consider getting an alarm installed, or at the very least make sure it has an immobiliser.
If you do have an alarm then you should find out how effective it is. Does it have motion sensors in the cabin? Can it be disarmed and exploited in seconds?
Can the car alarm be defeated?
Most people simply assume that a car will be OK if it ids equipped an alarm, but that is not always true.
Try arming the vehicle with the remote, then wait for 60 seconds before unlocking the car with the key. If the alarm disarms it’s not very effective. This is a flaw with many vehicles, particularly those from Japanese manufactures.
Upgrading the Alarm
With the Honda alarm lacking internal movement sensors and being relatively easy to defeat I am eager to enhance its security. especially since I frequently store expensive work tools in the boot.
What alarm should I choose?
It must be either a CAN-Bus or a PLIP alarm, as I want it to work using the existing smart key.
My Security Wishlist
- Alarm to function with the Honda Factory Keyless System
- Internal movement sensors
- Alarm to remain armed if the door lock is picked
- A battery back-up siren that works.
- Easy to use
- Protection against other known vulnerabilities which I’ll delve into at a later date
Testing alarms before installation
Vodafone Automotive is normally the first brand of alarm I consider, as they have consistently demonstrated reliability over the years. The only drawback is that the Gen 2 Honda Vezel, or HR-V is not listed.
I had a quick look at the Autowatch CAN-BUS alarm as they list the 2015 HR-V. I did a quick test wire up to see if it worked. It did work, but I was not happy with the alarm firmware as explained in the video.
Firmware testing
Most vehicle manufacturers tend to keep the CAN-Bus data similar throughout their range. It is always worth checking other models before going through the process of CAN mapping a vehicle. Sometimes, you get lucky and this time I found that the Honda Civic firmware for the Vodafone Automotive 4822 works flawlessly with the Vezel. Happy days.
In the next post I’ll show how the new alarm works and go into more details about other vulnerabilities that many vehicles have.
In the next post I’ll explain how the new alarm works in My Honda . I will also delve into more details about some other vulnerabilities that many vehicles have.
