ByJim Gorzelany,
Senior Contributor.
The good news for motorists is that vehicle thefts in the U.S. continue on a downward trajectory after a pandemic-fueled surge that peaked in 2023. Reported thefts over the first half of 2025 are 23% lower than in the same period in 2024 according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau.
The bad news is that at the same time, hackers are becoming increasingly adroit at exploiting proximity keyless entry technology to break into and drive away cars, trucks and SUVs in as little as 30 seconds without having to break a window or hot-wire the ignition.
They accomplish this by what’s called relay theft, in which cyberthieves employ electronic signal boosters to hack into a vehicle’s keyless proximity entry/start key fob and essentially clone its signal.
