SHOULD I KEEP MY CAR KEYS IN A FARADAY BOX?

Potentially, yes. The invention of keyless entry means we can unlock our cars upon approach, something particularly helpful when you want to open the boot, but have your hands full of shopping.

- RADHIKA BHATIA

But relying on an electromagnetic signal (rather than a good, old-fashioned key) to tell your car when to lock and unlock means that, with the right kind of technology, it's possible for someone to intercept and exploit that digital communication.

There were nearly 130,000 vehicles stolen in the UK between April 2023 and March 2024 and more than half of household incidents involved the thief manipulating a signal from a car key without ever having to get their hands on it.

This is only a problem for cars that have passive keyless entry: where the key only has to be in range of the car for it to unlock, no button-pressing needed. These entry systems work by sending out a signal that, when nearby, the car can detect.