BackProx: Secure Backscatter-Assisted Proximity Detection for Passive Keyless Entry and Start Systems.

Area of Science:

• Cybersecurity
• Automotive Systems
• Wireless Communication

Background:

• Passive keyless entry and start (PKES) systems offer convenience but are vulnerable to relay attacks.
• Relay attacks exploit signal relaying to trick PKES systems into granting unauthorized access.
• Existing methods struggle to differentiate legitimate proximity from relayed signals due to manipulated phase rotation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel relay-resilient proximity detection solution for PKES systems.
• To enhance the security of vehicle access against sophisticated relay attacks.
• To ensure accurate proximity detection by analyzing physical layer signal characteristics.

Main Methods:

• Introduction of BackProx, a system employing pseudo-random frequency hopping.
• Utilizes a reference backscattering device to monitor signal phase rotation.
• Analyzes invariant physical layer characteristics of radio frequency signals to detect anomalies.

Main Results:

• BackProx effectively resists three types of relay attacks.
• Achieved a 98% true positive rate for detecting genuine proximity at close range.
• Demonstrated a low 0.3% false positive rate for long-range scenarios, indicating high accuracy.

Conclusions:

• BackProx offers a robust and effective solution against relay attacks on PKES systems.
• The system leverages unique signal properties for reliable proximity verification.
• This approach significantly enhances the security and trustworthiness of keyless entry technologies.