The app that starts your car

Motor industry voices security fears as rivals Apple and Samsung launch app to replace keys

APPLE and Samsung have launched a phone app that can start your car with a key – but it has sparked some security concerns in the Irish motor business.

Alan Nolan, of the Society of the Irish Motor Industry, welcomed the development – but said: ‘You hear about people intercepting signals and opening cars. How secure is a phone to an attack of that sort?’

APPLE and Samsung have launched a phone app that can start your car without a key, sparking security concerns in the Irish car industry.

The unlikely alliance between smartphone rivals Apple and Samsung, as well as a host of other firms, will enable owners to unlock their car by scanning an app at the door.

Known as the Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC), the group has just unveiled its Digital Key 1.0 specification.

It has been billed as a revolutionary way to replace car keys – regardless of the make of the phone or the vehicle.

The feature is available to a range of companies including Audi, BMW, Opel, Hyundai, LG Electronics, Panasonic, Samsung and Volkswagen.

Drivers can also choose to temporarily grant other smartphone owners access to their vehicle using the app, allowing valets to park the vehicle or friends and family members to gain access.

Alan Nolan, of the Society of the Irish Motor Industry, hailed the development as the start of a new wave of connectivity between smartphones and cars. ‘There’s also going to be a huge connection between apps and in-car entertainment in the future,’ he said. ‘But it does raises issues about security, that’s what we want to look at.

‘You hear about people intercepting signals and opening cars. If it’s in a phone, how secure is a phone to an attack of that sort?

‘The other issue is, the keys on modern cars are important for tracking information. Somebody says they did only 5,000km, but the key itself can tell you if that isn’t true. So there are issues you would want to know about before you could say it’s okay.

‘But the idea that you can do it is good. It will also end that scramble on a Monday morning of “Where did I leave my keys?”. It could be a handy development and you’d have the benefit of still having your keys for when your kid does put the phone in the sink or when the battery goes.’

Ulf Warschat, head of Body Electronics at Audi, said they already offer a digital key service in a lot of models.

‘By standardising a digital key solution that complies with our security standards we lay the building blocks for innovative services on a broad basis,’ he said.

He added the digital key can perform the same functions as its manual counterpart, enabling users to lock and unlock the doors, as well as start the engine.

Digital Key 1.0, which uses the same NFC chipset that enables contactless payments in modern Android and iOS smartphones, has a wide range of uses, such as car sharing and rentals, as well as being useful in the case of an emergency.

CCC President Mahfuzur Rahman said: ‘I’m excited about the overwhelmingly positive response we’ve received from the industry to our standardised digital key solution.’

He added the consortium has already begun work on the Digital Key Release 2.0 specification and it is hoped the updated version of the key will be available next spring.

Mr Rahman said: ‘I believe that the forthcoming Digital Key Release 2.0 will have an even bigger impact on the industry as we meet needs for massive scalability.’

The device has received support from a slew of key payers in the digital security market, including Gemalto, a security firm that is also working on developing fingerprint-activated bank cards.

Christine Caviglioli, senior vice president of automotive and mobility services at Gemalto, added: ‘For more than two years Gemalto has strongly supported CCC work to standardise the digital key.

‘We are convinced the standardisation of digital car keys will foster the digitalisation of mobility services like car sharing, car rental and fleet management.’

The CCC is also hoping to allow people to share access to their vehicle with others via smartphones. This will mean users will be able to lock, unlock, start a car and give their friends and family access to their car.

‘How secure is a phone to attack?’ ‘I’m excited about positive response’