Thieves outwit high-tech advances

In the past, the theft of a few vehicles might not have seemed like such a big deal. But the ability of thieves to defeat top-tier automotive technology is another sign of the sophistication of criminal networks. Increasingly, car theft is more like computer hacking than like breaking and entering a home or business protected by physical locks and keys.

For every step taken by engineers to increase the difficulty of stealing a car, criminal networks have responded with schemes to defeat physical and electronic systems.

"It is a cat-and-mouse game between the bad guys on the street and the engineers in the lab," said Kim Hazelbaker, senior vice president of the Highway Loss Data Institute, a Washington, D.C. insurance group.

Though theft rates have been cut in half, insured losses remain unchanged from a decade ago as professional thieves target higher-value vehicles.

Just like any automotive technology, antitheft systems differ widely in both their design and effectiveness, said Forrest Folck, who operates Motor Vehicle Forensic Services in San Diego.

The LS 400s that were stolen are among models that use a smart key to tie into the car's electronic control module, or ECM, the central brain for the engine, transmission and related systems. Unless the smart key sends the proper code to the ECM transponder, the ECM disables the electronic fuel-injection system.

Here's how a criminal ring has defeated it: First, they force the locks on the door and steering column with a custom-made tool, using a socket wrench coupled to a specially machined blank key that fits any Lexus lock and can deform the wafers and tumblers.

Once inside the car, the hood is popped, the steering wheel lock is broken and the ignition electronics can be engaged. Normally, however, the ECM transponder would recognize that the key is not providing the proper security code.

But a second team member goes straight for the ECM, unscrewing the 6-by-8-inch box under the hood and unplugging the 50-pin connector. It is replaced with an altered ECM with a disabled transponder that does not shut down the fuel-injection system, Folck said.