Key Fobs w/BLE = Security Issue with DoD?

[PhilDavid]

Long story short, I got an e-mail from someone "up the chain" in the Air Force, saying we can't bring Tesla or BMW i8 keys into work anymore because of the Bluetooth in them. I have a May 2017 75D. I didn't know my keyfob had BLE but I guess Tesla started working with this back in 2016.

Does anyone know a good argument explaining how our fobs are like any other fob, or do I have to leave my key in the car from now on? (Which would be mildly inconvenient)

Thanks!

Can you not just make an arrangement to leave your key with security and pick it up on your way out?

And add a PIN lockout to the car just in case!

Seems your best approach is to accept and work around this situation than fight it outright, unless you had good relations with someone much higher up who will help you dissolve this matter.

 

[dbldwn02]

Yea, if my facility was on base, it wouldn't be such a big deal to leave the key in the car but it's off base so this really sucks. Banning ALL Tesla keys because they might or might not have bluetooth? Even from 5 years ago? Seems like they're really reaching. I can see most car fobs using some type of BLE in the future. Does that mean we have to ban all keyfobs ever made from every secure gov't facility? That's a lot of lock boxes outside the secure areas.

FYI...Bluetooth hearing aids are starting to be allowed in SCIFs now.

 

[dbldwn02]

You know, after some thought, I think this could all be solved if my car would drive its lazy a** back home like it was supposed to do 2 years ago! LOL!

 

[OrbiterTI4]

...Does that mean we have to ban all keyfobs ever made from every secure gov't facility? That's a lot of lock boxes outside the secure areas.
...

Guaranteed, somewhere there is a facility security officer dreaming of exactly this.

Referencing back to the poster keeping car keys in the car, unlocked, you didn't/don't work with paranoid-enough staff. I once worked in a location with three "layers" to pass through, and even then was told by someone from the security-side, "you are being a little reckless keeping your car keys on your desk, you really ought to have them in a drawer or coat pocket."

 

[animorph]

Not surprised they would ban BLE key fobs and anything that looks like them. They don't want to get into the level of detail where you have to open the key fob to prove it doesn't use BLE.

 

[Big Toys]

Basically it is just too much work to make exceptions and accommodations, and too much risk for anyone to take responsibility. Find another way to work.

 

[CrazyRabbit]

What is the consensus, are ble key fobs still banded by DOD?

 

[beatle]

They never were.

 

[vcor]

Tesla FOBs vary a lot and even vary by country. For the USA, the original S FOB was 315 MHz for North America (similar to most other manufacturers, even today). With the Model X (and later 3/Y with optional FOB) Tesla switched to Bluetooth at 2.4 GHz. Around June-2018 a change was made for improved cryptographic techniques for better security. The current Model S/X FOB uses Bluetooth 2.4 GHz and UWB 6.5 to 8 GHz to foil man-in-the-middle attacks that work on most other vendors' FOBs.

 

[dbldwn02]

They never were.

Not allowed in SCIFs.

Bleedingbit: Critical vulnerabilities in BLE chips expose millions of access points to attack - Help Net Security

If exploited, Bleedingbit vulnerabiltiies allow an unauthenticated attacker to break into enterprise networks undetected, take over APs, spread malware.

www.helpnetsecurity.com

 

[beatle]

Not allowed in SCIFs.

Bleedingbit: Critical vulnerabilities in BLE chips expose millions of access points to attack - Help Net Security

If exploited, Bleedingbit vulnerabiltiies allow an unauthenticated attacker to break into enterprise networks undetected, take over APs, spread malware.

www.helpnetsecurity.com

That's a lot different than saying they're "banded" by DoD.

 

[ewoodrick]

Not allowed in SCIFs.

Bleedingbit: Critical vulnerabilities in BLE chips expose millions of access points to attack - Help Net Security

If exploited, Bleedingbit vulnerabiltiies allow an unauthenticated attacker to break into enterprise networks undetected, take over APs, spread malware.

www.helpnetsecurity.com

Most people aren't allowed in SCIFs. Or anything for that matter.