Everything You Should Know About the Safety of Smart Locks

Don’t throw away your keys just yet. As with most smart technology, a smart lock is also vulnerable to hacking opportunities.

Privacy

Oct 27, 2016

by PSafe Newsroom

Smart technology has taken over our lives. From making our coffee in the morning to controlling the temperature of our home, we trust a variety of smart objects to complete tasks for us. Unfortunately, the abundance of this smart technology also contributes to its lack of security. We’re so focused on how a smart lock, for example, can make our home more secure against intruders that we may ignore the fact that it’s a device that can easily be hacked. Odds are, if you have a smart lock — or are interested in purchasing one — then security is a top concern for you. It’s time then to get informed about potential security risks with smart locks. After all, a smart lock system might set you back a few hundred dollars — and it might not be worth it.

Unencrypted Passwords
One of the biggest risks with some smart locks is an unencrypted password. Certain models from Quicklock, for example, store the lock’s password in plain text. This is the easiest way for a hacker to gain access to your lock — and your home. Further, there are many locks that have this issue. This seems like a big oversight. If you still want to invest in a smart lock after this, make sure you do your research on what specific models have to offer.

Lack of Updates
While this can be an issue with many Android devices, it’s an even bigger issue with smart locks. Smart locks are designed to be “secure.” But how can they truly be secure against cyberthreats without frequent security updates or bug fixes?

Hacking Opportunities
There are many ways that a hacker can gain access to your home through your smart lock. One way a hacker could take control of your lock involves you unlocking your door. A hacker could essentially “copy” the information sent to unlock the door, and then “replay” it to gain access to the lock. DEF CON 2016 showed that, with little money spent, a hacker could gain access to more than 75% of the smart locks currently available. Many Bluetooth locks from Kwikset and August (among others) were the safest to use.

The Conclusion
Smart locks don’t offer all that much more than a regular lock. The technology is cool, but there are still a lot of improvements that need to be made to the current selection. Even though a smart lock might help to protect your home from old-fashioned lock picking, many smart locks are still capable of being dismantled — in addition to all of the ways they can be hacked.