
Are Smart Locks Secure, or Just Dumb? - fjcaetano
http://gizmodo.com/are-smart-locks-secure-or-just-dumb-511093690
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Piskvorrr
First thing that popped into my mind: "let's just fuzz the poor thing over BT
and see if we can get it to fail"; the device inside doesn't seem particularly
robust, as far as electronics are concerned. Oh, and I wonder what a directed
EMP (which is as low-tech as it gets) would do to the lock - fail-open? fail-
safe? fail-closed? Who knows...and never mind the circuit breaker box located
conveniently outside. No juice - now what happens?

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fjcaetano
That's a good point, but as mentioned, if one really wants to get in, there
are easier ways than to hack the door. A crossbar to the door is cheaper and
demands less effort.

The EMP is a nice thought, I think it would render the electronic boards
completely useless as it do to any other digital device. Actually there
are/were studies of EMP bombs to be blown over cities that would wreck every
single electronic device, even cars. I believe the major problem would be
pranksters, either online or offline. Someone might be able to hack into their
servers and unlock all doors just because he can.

Anyway, regular old-fashioned keys are something that needed improvement for a
long time. Afterall the technology hasn't changed much in over 300 years, so I
think it's nice to see some fresh thoughts on this subject.

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Piskvorrr
I wasn't thinking anything large-scale: a small EMP device can apparently be
built from off-the-shelf parts, yielding a pulse which would only harm
electronics in close proximity - I was thinking of burglars instead of
pranksters. You are indeed quite correct: the lock isn't always the weakest
link, but may be the one that's easiest to break without attracting much
attention - breaking through a door tends to be very noisy, and hard to
conceal; a broken lock may not be apparent to casual inspection.

