A 
security system and method for deterring theft of a product, especially an automotive vehicle, is provided. In an embodiment, a secure storage device is provided that can be presented to a vehicle computer. The secure storage device includes a digital 
certificate associated with the vehicle and is operable to automatically install the 
certificate on the vehicle's computer once presented to the computer. At this point the vehicle's computer checks whether the 
certificate is valid and is issued by the private enterprise 
certificate authority of the vehicle manufacturer. If it is valid, the vehicle's computer then presents the certificate to the 
software upgrade server of the vehicle manufacurer. The 
upgrade server checks its certificate 
revocation list to see if the certificate has been revoked, perhaps because the vehicle is in a 
list of reported stolen vehicles. If the vehicle is not in the 
list i.e., its certificate is still valid, the 
server then allows for 
authorization of a fully autonomous online download (can be confirmed, if desired) and the 
secure authentication of such activities. If the vehicle is in the list of reported stolen vehicles, the server performs an exceptional handling process to prevent any 
software upgrade to the vehicle and reports the incident to the administrator to take firer action. The main vehicle computer may disable the stolen vehicle completely if the vehicle does not get its 
software upgraded for a predetermined period of time from an authorized server.