14 DAY TRIAL // Kwikset smartkey locks are said to be highly secure. However, despite the security certifications, experts demonstrated at DEF CON 21 that the locks could be easily hacked.
Marc Weber Tobias and Toby Bluzmanis have found 6 different ways to break the lock, Wired reports. They’ve used screwdrivers, wires, pieces of metal, and other tools, in some cases opening the lock without damaging it in only 30 seconds, in some cases even less.
Kwikset smartkey locks are highly popular, and over 20 million products being sold each year. They’re particularly attractive because they allow owners to easily reprogram the lock to any key.
“It’s not a pin-tumbler lock so that it doesn’t have the inherent physical strength to block the plug from turning when you do certain things,” Tobias told Wired.
The experts have reached out to both the Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association (BHMA), which rated the lock as being highly secure, and the manufacturer. BHMA ignored the complaint filed two years ago, while Kwikset representatives insist that the locks cannot be hacked.