{"id":26880,"date":"2019-05-06T08:44:53","date_gmt":"2019-05-06T12:44:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/?p=26880"},"modified":"2019-11-15T06:26:31","modified_gmt":"2019-11-15T11:26:31","slug":"why-smart-padlocks-suck","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/why-smart-padlocks-suck\/26880\/","title":{"rendered":"Why buying a “smart” padlock is a bad idea"},"content":{"rendered":"

Recently I\u2019ve been binge-watching the LockPickingLawyer<\/a> channel on YouTube. There\u2019s a whole lot to learn from these videos, especially if you were never into the lock-picking business. But one particular thing made a big impression: how badly \u201csmart\u201d padlocks perform when it comes to physical security.<\/p>\n

Disclaimer: I think it would be excessive to use ironic quotation marks throughout this text, so I\u2019m not gonna do it. Just keep in mind that every time I use the word smart<\/em>, I\u2019m using mental air quotes \u2014 \u201csmart.\u201d And for that matter, lock<\/em> might as well be \u201clock.\u201d<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with the eGeeTouch smart luggage lock, which is supposed to be unlocked with either a smartphone app or an NFC (near-field communication) tag. Never mind that a TSA master key that anyone can print on a 3D printer<\/a> can open every baggage lock, thus rendering all baggage locks useless. This little padlock makes it even worse. It is so badly designed that it can be fully disassembled and easily opened with nothing more than a pocket knife \u2014 even a plastic card might do.<\/p>\n