Banbury: On Board Defence fights hi-tech car crime
After a year of development and months of rigorous testing, innovative Banbury-based automotive-security firm On Board Defence has launched a pioneering ‘anti-hack’ device, aimed at eradicating the nationwide problem of keyless-vehicle theft.
PORTECTOR, the firm’s new tamper-proof, electronic signal-blocking system, is the first of its kind to achieve certification from Thatcham Research, the UK motor-insurers’ research centre.
Designed to prevent vehicles being stolen without the owner’s key, the system stops ‘electronic compromise’ by disabling a car’s On Board Diagnostic (OBD) port. This data access point is meant for vehicle technicians to perform diagnostic maintenance, but thieves can use it to plug into a car’s computer system in order to programme a blank key or bypass the immobiliser.
Paul Chase, managing director of On Board Defence, said: "Professional criminals have taken advantage of the online boom in electronic attack tools made specifically for stealing cars. By keeping one step ahead, we now have a proven, industry-certificated method of preventing this type of theft.”
Matthew Wright, head of commercial services at Thatcham Research, added: “The fight against vehicle crime remains a top priority. On Board Defence should be congratulated for producing a robust aftermarket solution to add to the multi-layered industry approach to OBD protection.”
According to figures published by the Office for National Statistics, theft of a motor vehicle has increased by 1%, from 75,308 in the year ending March 2014 to 75,809 in the year ending March 2015. This reverses the trend for declining vehicle theft over the past two decades.
Equally, statistics published by Thatcham Research in 2014 suggest that, for the first time in 20 years, insurance payouts to victims of vehicle theft are on the rise.
