$50 Hacking Device Opens Millions of Hotel Room Locks

24.07.2012

Brocious explains that the key information is easily accessible and not protected, thus allowing his device to obtain it so easily.

That said, the hack doesn't work every time. In tests performed for , Brocious was only able to open one of three Onity-made locks at a hotel in New York City, and only after trying twice on the door that finally unlocked. The problem appears to be due to issues in the timing of how his device communicates with the lock.

Regardless, the issue is serious enough to cause worry for hotel room operators. Hotel room theft is already a problem they deal with on a regular basis: if a device like this gets in the wrong hands, thieves will become all the more effective.

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