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This Fingerprint-Verified Smart Lock Can be Foiled by a Magnet

posted by Fnord666 on Monday April 06 2020, @04:17AM   Printer-friendly
from the not-very-secure dept.

upstart writes in with an IRC submission for SoyCow8162:

This fingerprint-verified smart lock can be foiled by a magnet:

Tapplock, a company that makes fingerprint-verified locks, has had a rough time with its locks' security. The company's flagship lock, which has been available since 2019, is apparently easy to pop open with a magnet. YouTuber LockPickingLawyer published a video last week showing how he could use a powerful magnet to turn the motor inside the Tapplock One Plus, causing it to open. The entire process takes less than 30 seconds.

The Tapplock One Plus costs $99 and features a fingerprint sensor. It also has built-in Bluetooth, so people can unlock it using an app. In response to the video, Tapplock commented: "Wow! Shout out to LPL for finding this exploit. Working on a fix with magnetic shielding, will be back."

This is a commendable reply, although it doesn't do much for people who already bought the lock. Most companies ignore bug reports or fail to fix the flaw. It at least seems like Tapplock wants to figure out how to prevent this kind of attack.

Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 2) by Bot on Monday April 06 2020, @11:48AM (4 children)

    by Bot (3902) on Monday April 06 2020, @11:48AM (#979611) Journal

    It needs to be as simple as a spring attached metal pin which blocks the rotation of the motor.

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  • (Score: 2) by RS3 on Monday April 06 2020, @02:02PM (3 children)

    by RS3 (6367) on Monday April 06 2020, @02:02PM (#979640)

    That might be a brilliant idea. It needs testing.

    Your idea (maybe Tapplock would pay you?) plus some "mu-metal" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mu-metal [wikipedia.org] shielding around the motor might fix the problem.

    Of course a bolt cutter or cutoff wheel won't care...

    • (Score: 2) by DannyB on Monday April 06 2020, @04:48PM (2 children)

      by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Monday April 06 2020, @04:48PM (#979695) Journal

      That might be a brilliant idea. It needs testing.

      Tapplock seems to do testing after the product ships.

      Maybe the assumption is they can fix it with a software update.

      The device driver team has been tasked to create a patch that makes changing the lightbulb unnecessary.

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      • (Score: 2) by RS3 on Monday April 06 2020, @06:51PM

        by RS3 (6367) on Monday April 06 2020, @06:51PM (#979736)

        Long ago we all became beta testers for everything. 'nuff said.

      • (Score: 3, Interesting) by RS3 on Tuesday April 07 2020, @12:34AM

        by RS3 (6367) on Tuesday April 07 2020, @12:34AM (#979822)

        You gave me another idea. Not sure how the hardware is designed, but if they put sensing on the motor leads, they could sense external magnetic influences, and intentionally drive the motor a little- enough to keep it locked.

        They could also do a coil or a Hall-effect sensor and again, drive the motor toward locked when external magnetic fields come around.