Multiple burglaries using keyless entry with keypad code

[ralteredstates]

If I go outside without my phone and need something from the car, I unlock it with the pad. Often, I forget to re-lock it (doesn't happen automatically in this scenario, but not an issue for me since it happens at my office which is a very safe place). Could this be what happened to the OP?

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[sci_goat]

If I go outside without my phone and need something from the car, I unlock it with the pad. Often, I forget to re-lock it (doesn't happen automatically in this scenario).

I'm not worried about thieves brute-forcing my keypad code, but I do worry that it doesn't re-lock after unlocking with the keypad.
Another risk is entering your keypad code while on camera. Let's say a security camera (garage camera, or one surreptitiously planted) catches you entering your code. The viewer of that video then gains access.

It is for this reason that I would like to able to reset the admin code.

 

[Scarpia]

The culprit definitely knows my factory code...

I question this - what is the evidence?

 

[AngryMan]

Car: Mach-E AWD Premium Extended Range (2023)

I had my car opened and searched for valuables twice within a single week without any damage done to it, living in an apartment complex with an underground parking.
The culprit definitely knows my factory code which I know I can't change or delete. It's also not possible to disable the keypad completely. Contacted Ford's customer support and was told something like: "if they guessed your factory code, the joke is on you - please contact the police because you won't hear anything else from our end".

I tend to agree with the others pertaining to a faraday bag/box .It will give you some comfort but the other thing you might wanna try is a small concealed camera either in the car or around it or both . If thief sees it he might bypass yer car. If not you have him on film. Amazon (of course) sells both.
Are you sure the car is actually locking ? Isn't there a software glitch affecting walkaway locking on some models ? Have you tried opening the door with phone and fob far away ??

Not to be Little Mary Sunshine but at least they haven't stolen the car .

 

[Jeff-NoVA]

I'm not worried about thieves brute-forcing my keypad code, but I do worry that it doesn't re-lock after unlocking with the keypad.
Another risk is entering your keypad code while on camera. Let's say a security camera (garage camera, or one surreptitiously planted) catches you entering your code. The viewer of that video then gains access.

It is for this reason that I would like to able to reset the admin code.

This is the reason to set and use only user codes and never rely on the admin code.

I agree with the other posters here, OP - keypad is not likely the issue. More likely your PAAK or key fob is close enough to your car that the thief is simply able to open the door. Have you tried opening your car door with your phone and keys in the normal spot you keep them in inside your apartment?

 

[AngryMan]

Have you tried opening your car door with your phone and keys in the normal spot you keep them in inside your apartment?

Good idea . Do process of elimination .

 

[dtbaker61]

Car: Mach-E AWD Premium Extended Range (2023)

I had my car opened and searched for valuables twice within a single week without any damage done to it, living in an apartment complex with an underground parking.

The culprit definitely knows my factory code which I know I can't change or delete.

why can't you change it ?

does the garage have any security cameras to see who was standing there for (hours?) trying combinations ?

Are you SURE you car was locked?

If you depend on 'walk-away', it may not be locking. If you have a Fob hidden inside too close to the center console, it may not lock. If you use PAAK, and you are within BT range for very long or walk by, it may unlock.

I would suggest:
- change your door pillar code
- put your Fob, wrapped in foil or Faraday bag, somewhere in the vehicle NOT within 3' of the center armrest (where the 'dead battery Fob detector slot is)
- manually lock door upon exit
- force-stop FordPass, or disable BT on your phone as you walk away

 

[ipca204]

Didn't you people READ!? They definitely know his code..lol.

 

[Bonehead]

why can't you change it ?

does the garage have any security cameras to see who was standing there for (hours?) trying combinations ?

Are you SURE you car was locked?

If you depend on 'walk-away', it may not be locking. If you have a Fob hidden inside too close to the center console, it may not lock. If you use PAAK, and you are within BT range for very long or walk by, it may unlock.

I would suggest:
- change your door pillar code
- put your Fob, wrapped in foil or Faraday bag, somewhere in the vehicle NOT within 3' of the center armrest (where the 'dead battery Fob detector slot is)
- manually lock door upon exit
- force-stop FordPass, or disable BT on your phone as you walk away

If a fob is wrapped in foil or in a Faraday bag, why would it matter how close it is to the center armrest?

 

[Nym]

Bluetooth
Class 1 - 328 Feet (100M)
Class 2 - 33 Feet (10M) - Most Phones are here
Class 3 - 3 feet (1M) (Bluetooth LE)

Key Fob
Typical - 100 Feet (30M)

Average Concrete Parking Garage
Floor Height - 12 Feet (3.6M)
Floor Thickness - 14 inches (.35M)
Garage+Apartment foundation - 16 inches ( .40N)

Apartment
Ceiling Height - 9 Feet (2.7M)
Conduit Space (Bottom) 2 Ft (.60M)

So wild ass guess...
Assuming apartment on first floor directly overhead of car the and key fob is on a wall hook = 8 Feet + 2 Feet + 2 Feet + 8 Feet (6M).
Potential minimum distance from car to keyfob is 20 feet (with concrete and wood in the path, amongst other things).

I would suspect a key fob relay attack is more likely, or clear fingerprints on the keypad that they can use to guess quickly. I would not expect PaaK, due to the proximity methodology unless the FordPass credentials are compromised (even then I think they notify you a new device has been added).

 

[garyd9]

Car: Mach-E AWD Premium Extended Range (2023)

I had my car opened and searched for valuables twice within a single week without any damage done to it, living in an apartment complex with an underground parking.
The culprit definitely knows my factory code which I know I can't change or delete. It's also not possible to disable the keypad completely. Contacted Ford's customer support and was told something like: "if they guessed your factory code, the joke is on you - please contact the police because you won't hear anything else from our end".

This keypad only has 5 buttons, so there is only 3125 unique combinations which is insane given that you can make 7 attempts with just a fixed 1-minute lockdown interval - you only need about 8 hours to go through ALL the potential combinations with the car not notifying the owner about scanning attempts, having additional personal codes will greatly cut down the time needed to guess one of the codes.

That's why I was wondering if anyone tried physically disconnecting/removing the keypad at maybe a Ford's service center? Or would it be possible for Mach-E owners to get Ford to address the issues with the keypad?

Get a OBDII dongle that's compatible with FORScan.

Despite what people seem to think, it's absolutely possible to disable the keypad. Or, just change it to use 7 digits instead of only 5.

(I've tested both. Currently, my US Mach-E is programmed to use 7 digits on the keypads.)

Edit: See this post where I talk about my experiences with changing these options: https://www.macheforum.com/site/threads/forscan-mme-spreadsheet.24701/post-810861

 

[iceman32crx]

Ford has used pin pads for decades so they probably won’t make any official changes anytime soon. Hide a trail camera somewhere and monitor the car remotely. Get a trail camera with is cellular connection and you can get notifications If there’s cell service in the garage.

 

[ECharge729]

How close do you live to the parking garage in your apartment building? My guess is that your phone RF signal is bouncing around such that the perp is simply opening the door or that you'r the victim of a Bluetooth relay attack. If you've not already done so, I suggest you leave you phone where it likely would have been during the time when the perp accessed your car and see if you can open the car door. On the other hand, it is possible to make Bluetooth relay devices that capture the BT signal from your phone and relay it to the car. While there are methods to minimize this risk that could have been built into the car, it is my understanding that for whatever reason Ford hasn't done that.

(Yes it's theoretically possible that someone might try to exhaustively search for the factory code, but for the reasons mentioned by @phil realistically the likelihood of that is very, very low.) In contrast a Bluetooth relay attack would be essentially instantaneous.

How can one protect against either of the above issues? Do any of the following while at home: kill FordPass, turn off Bluetooth on your phone, put your phone into a faraday bag.

Lastly, though maybe less likely in this case, key fob relay attacks are also possible. Luckily those can be easily thwarted by putting your fob in a faraday bad while at home. But sure to seal the bag as you need it to block all RF.

So, my apartment is 10 floors of concrete apart from my car. The car is in the underground garage with absolutely no connection: no mobile network, no Wi-Fi - completely off the grid, really. So, BT and/or fob signal relay are out of the question here. Same for remote unlock through FordPass if that is a thing. I would say it only leaves keypad code entry as a viable option.

 

[JohnFoxeSheets]

So, my apartment is 10 floors of concrete apart from my car. The car is in the underground garage with absolutely no connection: no mobile network, no Wi-Fi - completely off the grid, really. So, BT and/or fob signal relay are out of the question here. Same for remote unlock through FordPass if that is a thing. I would say it only leaves keypad code entry as a viable option.

Have you tested it? RF is a very strange thing. (Though of course if you left the keypad code in a place where it was visible/accessible to a potential thief that would be a different matter.)

 

[ECharge729]

I knew a guy that lived in town without a garage and he said that he kept nothing in the car and left it unlocked so he didn't wind up with a broken window. I don't know of a way to keep a mme unlocked but make sure that nothing is visible to a thief.

Yeah, I never leave anything visible in my car when I am away. The only thing there is my dog's seat - but I honestly hope no thief would consider that to be something of value. My personal asshole (the one who searches my car twice a week now) is always turning every storage compartment upside down and leaves it that way. I am kind of more concerned about having to do a clean up after every instance of those random searches and losing the convenience factor of being able to leave something in my trunk/frunk (I am using trunk covers, of course) at least for a night. Oh, yeah, and this awful feeling of my car not really being a private car at this point.

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