Person Reviews Expensive Smart Lock On Twitter, Shows How Most Burglars Can ‘Outsmart’ It In Just 10 Seconds

Interview With Expert

Locks aren’t something that most of us think about in our daily lives — they’re just there. We lock our homes when we leave for school or work in the mornings and we unlock them when we come back. We don’t give locks a second thought unless there’s been a break-in or we become locked out.

Cybergibbons, who describes himself as a reverse engineer, hardware hacker, security analyst, lock picker and heist planner, figured out the vulnerabilities of one particular smart lock — the Pineworld Lock that costs 139.99 pounds. According to the security specialist, some burglars could get the expensive lock open in around 10 seconds. Bored Panda interviewed Cybergibbons, aka Andrew Tierney, so scroll down to read more of his insights about security, the capabilities of burglars, and how to protect your home.

More info: cybergibbons.com | Twitter

Security analyst Cybergibbons explained why some smart locks aren’t as safe as you’d think

Person Reviews Expensive Smart Lock On Twitter, Shows How Most Burglars Can 'Outsmart' It In Just 10 Seconds

Image credits: cybergibbons

Person Reviews Expensive Smart Lock On Twitter, Shows How Most Burglars Can 'Outsmart' It In Just 10 Seconds

Image credits: cybergibbons

Person Reviews Expensive Smart Lock On Twitter, Shows How Most Burglars Can 'Outsmart' It In Just 10 Seconds

Image credits: cybergibbons

Person Reviews Expensive Smart Lock On Twitter, Shows How Most Burglars Can 'Outsmart' It In Just 10 Seconds

Image credits: cybergibbons

Person Reviews Expensive Smart Lock On Twitter, Shows How Most Burglars Can 'Outsmart' It In Just 10 Seconds

Image credits: cybergibbons

Person Reviews Expensive Smart Lock On Twitter, Shows How Most Burglars Can 'Outsmart' It In Just 10 Seconds

Image credits: cybergibbons

Person Reviews Expensive Smart Lock On Twitter, Shows How Most Burglars Can 'Outsmart' It In Just 10 Seconds

Image credits: cybergibbons

Person Reviews Expensive Smart Lock On Twitter, Shows How Most Burglars Can 'Outsmart' It In Just 10 Seconds

Image credits: cybergibbons

Person Reviews Expensive Smart Lock On Twitter, Shows How Most Burglars Can 'Outsmart' It In Just 10 Seconds

Image credits: cybergibbons

Person Reviews Expensive Smart Lock On Twitter, Shows How Most Burglars Can 'Outsmart' It In Just 10 Seconds

Image credits: cybergibbons

Person Reviews Expensive Smart Lock On Twitter, Shows How Most Burglars Can 'Outsmart' It In Just 10 Seconds

Image credits: cybergibbons

Person Reviews Expensive Smart Lock On Twitter, Shows How Most Burglars Can 'Outsmart' It In Just 10 Seconds

Image credits: cybergibbons

Person Reviews Expensive Smart Lock On Twitter, Shows How Most Burglars Can 'Outsmart' It In Just 10 Seconds

Image credits: cybergibbons

Person Reviews Expensive Smart Lock On Twitter, Shows How Most Burglars Can 'Outsmart' It In Just 10 Seconds

Image credits: cybergibbons

Person Reviews Expensive Smart Lock On Twitter, Shows How Most Burglars Can 'Outsmart' It In Just 10 Seconds

Image credits: cybergibbons

Person Reviews Expensive Smart Lock On Twitter, Shows How Most Burglars Can 'Outsmart' It In Just 10 Seconds

Image credits: Amazon

Person Reviews Expensive Smart Lock On Twitter, Shows How Most Burglars Can 'Outsmart' It In Just 10 Seconds

Image credits: Amazon

Person Reviews Expensive Smart Lock On Twitter, Shows How Most Burglars Can 'Outsmart' It In Just 10 Seconds

Image credits: cybergibbons

Bored Panda asked Cybergibbons whether mechanical locks are safer than electronic locks, he had this to say: “I don’t think you can generalize this much. [However,] you don’t need to spend as much to get a decent mechanical lock. Many of the electronic ones are bad, though.”

Worried that modern burglars are getting so advanced that they’d have no problem breaking the electronic locks protecting our bamboo farms, Bored Panda questioned Cybergibbons about the modern capabilities of evil-doers.

“A typical burglar isn’t advanced. Really you are looking at lock-snapping being the most advanced attack. It is often just force. There are not the same kind of electronic attacks as against cars, because there is no money in it and you can’t trivially tell from the outside.”

Tierney revealed that he has worked full-time in information security for 4 years and got into the business “via a misspent youth.” Living in London, England, he currently works for Pen Test Partners.

While the majority of burglars rely on brute force and tried-and-tested tricks of their trade, there are some who go the advanced route and become cyber-burglars. Case in point, as CNBC writes, a “high-tech burglary crew” stole more than 10 million dollars while using the sorts of tactics we usually only ever see on the silver screen.

Tierney gave sound, common-sense advice on how to best protect your home from burglars and other criminal masterminds: “Cover the basics first — door and window locks. Try to stop people from getting to hidden areas like the back garden. Keep valuables out of sight. Get a safe.” So it’s best to cover the basics first before worrying about potential ninja-cyber-burglars.

People thanked Cybergibbons for showing the problems with the lock

Person Reviews Expensive Smart Lock On Twitter, Shows How Most Burglars Can 'Outsmart' It In Just 10 Seconds

Image credits: IonSwitz

Person Reviews Expensive Smart Lock On Twitter, Shows How Most Burglars Can 'Outsmart' It In Just 10 Seconds

Image credits: wesleyneelen

Person Reviews Expensive Smart Lock On Twitter, Shows How Most Burglars Can 'Outsmart' It In Just 10 Seconds

Storytelling, journalism, and art are a core part of who I am. I've been writing and drawing ever since I could walk—there is nothing else I'd rather do. My formal education, however, is focused on politics, philosophy, and economics because I've always been curious about the gap between the ideal and the real. At work, I'm a Senior Writer and I cover a broad range of topics that I'm passionate about: from psychology and changes in work culture to healthy living, relationships, and design. In my spare time, I'm an avid hiker and reader, enjoy writing short stories, and love to doodle. I thrive when I'm outdoors, going on small adventures in nature. However, you can also find me enjoying a big mug of coffee with a good book (or ten) and entertaining friends with fantasy tabletop games and sci-fi movies.

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I'm a visual editor at Bored Panda. I kickstart my day with a mug of coffee bigger than my head, ready to tackle Photoshop. I navigate through the digital jungle with finesse, fueled by bamboo breaks and caffeine kicks. When the workday winds down, you might catch me devouring bamboo snacks while binging on the latest TV show, gaming or I could be out in nature, soaking up the tranquility and communing with my inner panda.

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What do you think ?

POST

Podunkus 5 years ago

Go on YouTube and watch videos from LockPickingLawyer and other professional locksmiths. This will convince you that nearly every single lock can be bypassed with the right tools and a little know-how.

17points

J. Zingler 5 years ago

LPL is godlike when it comes to locks :D

5points

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Wil Vanderheijden 5 years ago

For everyone thinking about setting up a "smart home", just don't. Security on all the smart devices is low to non-existent. It won't be long before we will read about people being forced to pay large amounts of money to get their central heating working again in mid winter or to even gain access to their own house. And as this post shows, even the mechanical safety is below anything you'd expect from an expensive lock to be. Do you know how to connect to a bluetooth device by trying pin number 0000 or 1234? That's the basic level of security your smart thermostat has, if you haven't changed the configuration. Which most people don't even know how to do it.

11points

Hans 5 years ago

Well, most people mistake a smart home for one where everything is connected to the Internet. But that isn't it. A smart home automatised functionality in a clever way. As decentral as possible, with as little connectivity as possible. I used industry-strong home automation for my home (using KNX, which is the leading standard in Europe for this purpose). It costs quite a bit more than these simple tools, but it will last, and it is safe.

2points

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Fluffy monster 5 years ago

This is interesting but you've basically just put a step by step guide up on how to break into these locks. Very handy for burgles

11points

kurisutofu 5 years ago

They would have found out on their own. Hiding a security fault doesn't prevent it to be used, only that it doesn't get corrected.

20points

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Clinton Yew 5 years ago

These people are professionals hired to test the security of a system, if they can find it, so will the burglar.

2points

M O'Connell 5 years ago

The same faults seem to be present in all "smart lock" devices. They were all conceived-of, designed, and engineered by people with experience creating consumer electronics devices, using the same manufacturing and assembly techniques. Had they employed, or even consulted with anyone with lock-design experience, that person could have pointed out the many, many flaws. I have no idea why people buy such things. The pin-tumbler locks in my parents house have been there for 80 years. How long will any of these children's toys-turned locks last?

1point