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Why is a WiFi lock so bad? It opens you up more, but the number of people who can hack even the most insecure example is vastly smaller than the number of peopl
by mikeash 7y ago
Why is a WiFi lock so bad? It opens you up more, but the number of people who can hack even the most insecure example is vastly smaller than the number of people who can kick down a door or break a window. Household locks are almost always just about deterring casual criminals, and internet vulnerabilities don’t move the needle much on that.
- jedberg 7y ago> Why is a WiFi lock so bad? Scalability. Once you know how to pick one, you can pick them all quickly and remotely. Kicking down a door or picking a physical lock takes time and effort and exposes you to scrutiny while doing it.
- mikeash 7y agoPicking a lock remotely seems rather pointless.
- jedberg 7y agoWhy? If you want to break into a house, it's a lot easier if you can just walk up to the door and look like you were invited in, then attracting attention picking a lock or kicking down a door. It also means you can hire someone else to do your dirty work by tricking them into thinking they were invited in and asking them to "grab a few things for you".
- outworlder 7y ago> Picking a lock remotely seems rather pointless. From another country, maybe. Via WIFI? You are not more than a few hundred meters away. Doing that from across the street is much more convenient. Once they are done, they can just walk right in.
- mikeash 7y agoDoesn’t seem very scalable. Maybe you can knock over 10x as many houses in a night as a normal criminal. Normal criminals are 1000x (at least) more numerous, so it’s not a big increase in the threat.
- femto 7y agoLock Picking as a Service? I can imagine someone cracking these locks en masse, then setting up a website to sell the fruits of their labour. A local thief could log into a website, provide a street address and pay a fee, and the lock will be remotely unlocked.