
Not only that, but August still hasn't issued a firmware update, something Jmaxxz says is necessary to fix at least one remaining issue he details in this blog post. That was more than a week after the premature "We've got app fixes coming out today" tweet. On August 10, Twitter user asked August if there were firmware updates in the works to fix any of the issues highlighted at Defcon: And we weren't the only ones keeping track of August's progress. Here's the thing - we replicated Jmaxxz's key-enrolling hack as recently as August 19. Our system has never been compromised and none of our users smart locks have been at risk."
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The ability for a user to download and access their own encrypted key has been removed. Ultimately, what he showed was that a hacker could hack their own phone to obtain a one-time use key for their own lock. An August representative sent me the following response later that day: "Yes, we have seen presentation from DEF CON, which is impressive. I reached out to August the day we wrote about Jmaxxz's findings on August 9 and asked for a comment.
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The good news is, this is a moment where we can learn a lot about how to do this better next time. Transparency mattersĪugust actively worked to fix the issue, though, so why do we still care? We care because we wish August had spoken more clearly about the flaw and fixed it faster.

Since this hack relates to an issue with August's guest access and that the NCVS has unsettling statistics to share about burglary victims who know their offenders, Jmaxxz's discovery was still concerning. During the same time period, victims of violent home invasions knew the offender 65 percent of the time. That also means Jmaxxz's discovery (before August fixed it) was an unlikely route to take to access someone's home.Īt the same time, the US Department of Justice's National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) from 2003 to 2007 says victims who were home during a burglary knew the offender in roughly a third of the 1 million average annual burglaries. That means home invasions related to hacking a smart device are rare enough that the FBI doesn't provide statistics on them.
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Convenience aside, Jmaxxz discovered a vulnerability with August's guest access that allowed guests to hack August's software and "enroll a new key." Once a guest enrolled a new key, they could control an August Smart Lock even after the homeowner removed them as a guest. Guest access is a feature commonly touted by smart lock makers, since it frees you from having to cut and hand out a bunch of physical keys. While you might give a close friend or family member who doesn't live with you ongoing guest access, you can also extend recurring or temporary access to an Airbnb renter, cleaning service, dog walker, neighbor - or anyone else who might need to unlock your front door when you're at work, on vacation or otherwise away. Both August's first- and second-gen locks let you grant someone ongoing, recurring or temporary access to your home via a digital "key" you can send to their smartphone via the August app. Jmaxxz's demo uncovered one especially interesting area of vulnerability related to guest access. Here's how the whole August/Defcon episode went down.

Hacker Jeopardy: When manhood is the question at Defcon.7 smart locks to unleash your front door's potential.But beyond the technical issues Jmaxxz found, his work also called attention to the fact that August didn't respond to these issues with the degree of transparency we would expect from a company working to make our homes safer. As far as anyone knows, the vulnerability never resulted in a break-in. His presentation highlighted vulnerabilities in August's first- and second-generation smart locks via live demonstration, claims we reported on as part of a larger piece on lock security on August 9.Īs of August 19, the company has patched most of the problems Jmaxxz uncovered, and no one can now replicate them. Just ask Jmaxxz, a software engineer, security expert and well-intentioned white-hat hacker (someone who breaks locks to help identify fixable security problems) who spoke at the Defcon technology security conference earlier this month. Smart locks, with their Internet-connected perks (Open your door from anywhere! Share temporary digital keys!) are no exception.

For as long as humans have tried to lock up stuff, burglars have searched for ways to break those locks.
