Smart lock may not be as safe as you think

These types of smart locks have a promising future thanks to convenience. However, before deciding to use this product and leaving home without taking the key, users need to calculate carefully.

According to Abacus, the report of the Tianjin Consumer Association (China) confirms that some types of smart locks are easily "out of sight" by thieves .

Experts from the association discovered and tested six inherent weaknesses on 38 smart locks of local and international brands such as Samsung and Dormakaba (Switzerland).

Smart locks can be easily purchased on many Chinese e-commerce sites for $ 110-520.(Photo: Shutterstock).

One of the biggest problems turned out to be the unique fingerprint recognition feature of smart lock. Of the 36 types of smart locks that were randomly selected, 32 were disabled by fake fingerprints.

With convenient features, smart locks have won the hearts of many users in the West. AV-Test, an independent German security review organization, conducted a test in 2017 and concluded that most smart keys have no vulnerabilities to be exploited.

However, in fact, in the past, security researchers have found a way to disable certain types of smart locks.

Since the beginning of 2019, China has begun to warn users about the quality of smart locks. Specifically, a consumer safety watchdog stated that 15% of the top 40 smart locks they tested could be outdone.

China has also issued warnings about locks that are equipped with facial recognition and smart card functions.

According to the Consumer Association in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei, among the categories that have been 'overtaken' there are products of brands that are promoted with the ability to distinguish real and fake fingerprints.

, place the print image before the face recognition key or use something called a "black box".(Photo: JSTV / Miaopai).

This list includes several well-known brands such as device maker Haier and Qihoo 360, China's largest cyber security company.

The association began to re-sequence reports after a video was being circulated in China claiming that 'small black boxes' could easily break into smart locks.

In fact, the boxes that emit this electromagnetic pulse are not effective for modern smart locks. However, the report shows some other security issues of smart lock.

Specifically, of the 26 types of locks tested through the use of smart cards, 24 is disabled. Some smart locks stop working when the temperature drops very low.