Can Smart Door Locks be Hacked and How To Prevent It

Best Digital Lock in Singapore - In recent years, using smart locks has become a new trend in society.

Apart from making the home look more modern, this kind of method is also considered safer and can protect the home better. However, there are questions that arise when using this type of lock. For example,

Can smart door locks be hacked? 

This kind of question is normal, and you definitely should know about it before changing the locks. So, in this article you will know about:

• Is a smart door lock hackable and how safe it is.
• Pros and cons of each kind of lock, and which one is the safest. 
• How to prevent the cyber terrorists from touching the locks. 

 

Here are the explanations about it! 

 

How Safe Are The Smart Locks? 

Home sweet home, you might already be familiar with this proverb because you heard it often. Sadly, not all people can experience that kind of sweetness. Most of the time, your peace at home is disturbed by a home invasion or trespassing. This kind of crime happens too often all over the world. 

In the USA alone, home invasions happen every 4 seconds. There are always more than one million home invasions that most likely happen in one year. Most of them are in the form of burglary. However, assault and rape also often occur during the robbery. The assault is 38%, while the rape is 60%. 

This kind of crime also occurs more often than you like in the UK. In 2022 alone, there were around 192,060 cases of burglary. Fortunately, the numbers have decreased by 2% from the previous year. One of the reasons is definitely the awareness about the importance of home security, which keeps increasing. 

This is reflected in the market size growth of smart locks. In 2022, it valued USD 2.13 billion. Then, in this year, its size grew to USD 2.49 billion. By the year 2030, the size market is forecasted to grow to USD 8.21 billion.  The reason is because people realize that this kind of lock is safer. 

So, are smart door locks safe? It is definitely safer than the traditional one. You cannot forcefully hit it with a hammer or other tools because it is simply harder to break. Some of them even have alarms, so the criminals prefer to avoid them. 

Do Smart locks Have Flaws? 

However, there is always a way for criminals to carry out their actions. So, do smart locks deter burglars? The answer is yes. Then, are there burglars who are still trying to break in even though you have a smart lock from any kind of getaway at home? The answer is still yes. 

There is still a way to break into a home even without breaking the doorknob, that is by messing the security system in the cyber world. Sadly, up until today, there are still no locks that are 100% anti burglar. 

So, are keyless door locks hackable? Yes, they are. 

Aside from the burglar, the person who invaded the house could be someone you know. It can be your ex boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, wife, or someone crazy that is obsessed with you. There is still a risk of smart locks while you are facing that kind of person.
 
Because, they will likely spend all their energy, including breaking into the security system, just to get into the house. 
But, are smart locks safer than key locks? Yes it is. The reason is because breaking into a home with smart locks is harder than the key one. You will need twice to ten times the effort before you can enter the home by messing up with its security system. 

Which Kind of Smart Lock Is The Safest? 

Then, 

which kind of smart door locks are safest for you? Because, for your information, there are more than one smart locks that exist in the market. 

You can locks that can be unfasten by:

• Face recognition 
• Fingerprint recognition 
• Bluetooth connection 
• WiFi connection 
• PIN
• Card

Obviously, each of them has its own pros and cons. For more information, here is the explanation!
 
1. Face Recognition 

The first one on the list, and probably the safest that exists, is a lock that uses face recognition. It is definitely one of the high-end security features that you can get in the form of locks. This is because how to hack electronic door locks that use this kind of protection is so hard. You cannot easily clone a face. 

However, you might think that you still can open it by using a photo or video. But, the thing is, the technology did not allow it. Before you seal a deal with a seller, make sure to test it. So, you will know whether the product can be opened by photo or video that contains the face or not. 

The minus point is definitely the variety. Because, if you compare it with the other types, this one is indeed much more rare to find. It is also kind of pricey. 

Pro: 

• It is safer from cyber terrorists because its security system uses biometric authentication. They cannot break in except they have a clone.
• You can unfasten a gateway without needing to touch it. 

Cons: 

• The products are still rare, there is not much variety to choose. 
• The price is expensive. 

 

2. Fingerprint Recognition 

Apart from face recognition, did you know that there is also another biometric authentication product which is more popular? The product is fingerprint door locks, which is definitely more common than the face recognition one. 

So, if you want to know what kind of door lock is most secure and is easy to get, you can try this one. Because, there is no way to hack a fingerprint, except if you are able to break into the lock's database and clone it. Aside from that, there is no one who has the same or similar print on their fingers. 

Besides, the price is definitely cheaper than other biometric authentication. You can get the lock with a reasonable price.
But, with fingerprint authentication, you have to touch the lock directly to unfasten it. 

So, you would not be able to fasten and unfasten the gateway from a far. You have to present directly in front of the gateway to open it. 

Pro: 

• It is so much safer from cyber terrorists because its security system is using biometric authentication. They cannot break in except they have a clone.
• The products are relatively cheaper than the face recognition one. 

Cons: 

• Not touchless, you need to touch it to unfasten the gateway. 
• You cannot control the lock remotely. 

 

3. Bluetooth Connection 

If you want a smarter way to unfasten the gateway, then you can use Bluetooth smart locks. With this type, you can unfasten a gateway without touching the lock. As long as your Bluetooth is connected to the lock, you can directly open the gateway without physically unfasten it. 

However, because it is using a wireless connection, the Bluetooth one is definitely vulnerable to be hacked. 

Some people can use a Bluetooth sniffer to be able to enter the home. So, can Bluetooth smart locks be hacked? Unfortunately, the answer is yes. 
But, you do not have to worry because hacking a Bluetooth is too much work for a burglar. They need to learn about how to sniff a Bluetooth connection first before committing the crime. Aside from that, they also need to be near to be able to mess with the database. 

Pro: 

• Touchless. You only need to turn on the Bluetooth and the gateway will most likely unfasten immediately. 
• The prices are relatively cheaper than face recognition authentication locks. 

Cons:

• Some cyber terrorists can mess up with its security system by using a Bluetooth sniffer.

 

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Related Content : https://www.hoz.sg/blog/get-to-know-fingerprint-door-lock-a-guide-from-a-to-z 

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4. WiFi Connection 

Then, there is also the WiFi smart door lock, which is no less popular than the Bluetooth one. The popularity of this product keeps growing because people find it easy to use and more simple than any other types. Because, you can access all of the lock's system through an application. 

In the app, you can fasten and unfasten the gateway easily from anywhere. Even though you are out of town, you still can unfasten it for other people who want to enter your home. 

However, the minus point is that you need to connect to the Internet to access it. Aside from that, like any other wireless connection, it is also easy to break into the database in the cyber world. 

So, what are the disadvantages of smart door locks that use WiFi connection? You can be conceded when your phone is lost, because all the data regarding the lock is there. Aside from that, there is also a possibility of WiFi breaching. It can be done from far away too. 

But, breaching a WiFi connection is not that easy. You need to have a deep knowledge about cyber, and you have to put too much time and too much effort in it. So, do smart door locks deter a burglar from entering a home? They definitely do. At least, it is safer than using a traditional key. 

Pros:

• Touchless, you can unfasten the gateway by using an app on your phone. 
• The prices are relatively cheaper than face recognition authentication locks. 
• You can control it remotely. 

Cons: 

• Some cyber terrorists can mess up with its security system by breaching the WiFi. 

 

5. PIN

Then, for your information, almost all digital locks are using PIN or password authentication. Either it is the locks that use face recognition, fingerprint recognition, Bluetooth connection, or WiFi connection. You can use the PIN in case other ways of unlocking do not work. 

However, if you want to know what are the threats of smart locks, is the possibility of someone breaking in without your permission. Especially if you only use PIN authentication. Because, everyone can enter, as long as they know the PIN even though you did not tell them directly. 

So, using a PIN is not that safe. You need to at least strengthen the security by having two factors verification. Lately, some smart locks have fake PIN features, where you can enter wrong numbers before inputting the real one. 

Pro:

• There are so many varieties of brands, desain, prices, etc.

 
Cons:

• Easy to mess up with the security system, because people can know the PIN even though you did not tell them directly. 
• Too much work, because you need to press the PIN before you can unfasten the gateway. 

 

6. Card

Last but not least, some smart locks also can be opened by a card. However, the usage of cards was not that different from a traditional key. It is because you need to bring the card everywhere and there is a big possibility that you lost it. However, most of the cards are definitely not hackable.
 
Pro:

• There are so many varieties of brands, desain, prices, etc. 
• Not hackable, except when someone stole your card key. 

Cons:

• Easy to lose.

 

How to Protect The Security Systems of The Locks from Cyber Terrorists

 

After you know each type of smart lock and what are their pros and cons, you also need to know how to prevent smart locks from hacking. Especially the one which uses a wireless connection and is easy to break into the security system. So, here are some ways to prevent it from happening! 

• Change the PIN regularly 
• Protect the database, so no one can clone your fingerprint.
• Make sure the locks cannot be unfasten by photo or video. 
• Turn off the bluetooth connection when you do not use it.
• Strengthen your WiFi connection by using a strong password. 
• Integrate the locks with other security systems, such as alarm and camera.
• Purchase the locks at a trusted company. 

 

So, that was the answer to the question, can smart door locks be hacked? The security system of the smart locks still can be messed up by the cyber terrorists. However, it would be so much safer than the traditional one. You only need to purchase it from a trusted company, such as Hoz to prevent it.

 

Cheers,

 

Hoz,

Your Best Digital Lock Provider.