Why "Smart Locks" Can Be Much More Dangerous Than a Dumb Deadbolt

Vulnerabilities like these are perfect illustration of how smart tech can make you less secure.

There's plenty that's appealing about having a "smart home." Smart lights that you can turn out from bed, a smart thermostat that only heats or cools the house when you're home. Smart locks you can use to let friends or neighbors in in case of emergency, without having to give them a spare key. But for all the potential advantages, there can be a serious security downside, and the University of Michigan has a great demonstration of it

A recent video put out by the university focuses on some third-party smart locks that work with Samsung's open SmartThings platform, a relatively popular standard among the dozens that are duking it out for dominance in the still-fledgling world of smart devices. As the researchers demonstrate, various vulnerabilities in the tech would allow hackers to intercept pin codes, reset them, or even create a few secret ones for their own use whenever they want. Scary stuff!


Of course normal dumb locks aren't exactly that great either. The vast majority of locks are pickable with a certain level of skill, and almost no door is un-bashable and no window is unbreakable. If thieves really want in, they'll find a way. Locks are there to keep honest people honest, after all. So is this really that bad? 

Being able to sneakily steal a code gives a robber secret, perpetual access.

Well yes. As the researchers mention off-handedly a few times, these hacks do not merely grant hackers entry in the way that a broken window or smashed down door might. Being able to sneakily steal a code gives a robber secret, perpetual access. It's much more like stealing a key than it is like breaking the window. Worse, it's actually like having the opportunity to steal multiple keys at once, from dozens of "smart" homes all throughout a neighborhood, all with minimal effort. 

Hacks like these make breaking into a home much more akin to breaking into a phone, a feat where hackers are aided by the inherent lack of distance on the internet; they can try to hack thousands of phones at once, from anywhere. Smart locks, if insecure, lend this same vulnerability to your front door, and potentially give hackers the chance to try to get access to your home with minimal effort. Sure, they have to actually go there to get in, but they can try their hand at method of entry without having to leave the couch.

So sure, there are plenty of advantages a smart lock might offer you, but make no mistake that you could be trading a lot of security in exchange. This tech is still in its infancy and ripe for abuse. So maybe hold off a few years before you buy in, because that expensive smart lock might ultimately prove no better than the average dumb deadbolt, and in fact, it might be worse.

Source: University of Michigan via Gizmodo

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