Effectively, the thieves break into the car's communications in the CAN bus and insert fake messages spoofing the smart key receiver on the same network as the headlights, diagrammed above.

The method involves accessing a car’s Controller Area Network (CAN) bus, a system that allows multiple devices within a vehicle build to communicate with each other in real time.

The CAN bus, accessible through the OBD-II port, is the channel that holds all the secrets of the modern automobile. If you want to display those for your own perusal, you might consider this nifty… ...