Hot or Not? Kwikset SmartKey
By Gordon DeWitte
Speaking of lock picking (TM 10/6/09 and 3/7/08, for example), where does the “easily re-keyed” Kwikset SmartKey™ fit in the security spectrum? It does have BumpGuard™ for protection against lock bumping, and the re-keying is done on the inside handle (by inserting a functioning key, turning it ¼ turn to the “learn” position, inserting and firmly pushing the SmartKey tool, removing the tool, taking out the current key without rotating, inserting the new key — available in a kit [What’s This?] –, and turning it ¼ turn back to the starting position), but is it more or less secure because of this re-keying feature?
Kwikset [Manufacturer's Site]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]
October 12th, 2009 at 9:28 am
i can’t speak to the security but the it is surely easier to re-key than a standard lock set.
October 12th, 2009 at 9:50 am
The tool to decode a Kwikset Smartkey costs about $5.00 to build, if you are sufficiently talented. Shane Lawson did a presentation on hacking the Kwikset SmartKey, and he makes it look easy.
It’s a fairly sophisticated hack, but easy enough that I wouldn’t use it to protect anything that would be worth the effort. As far as protecting your house, it’s what I use. I’m more worried about bump keys and bricks through windows than a sophisticated lock hacker decoding the lock. Your average house thief tries the front-door first, and if it’s locked, will simply break a window.
The thing I love about this lock is being able to “make” a key for someone when I go out of town and need someone to check on my cat. Each one of my friends/family has their own unique key, that they keep. When I go out of town, whoever is watching my house, I just change the front door to their key. When I get back, I change it back. It’s very nice!
October 12th, 2009 at 9:50 am
Forgot to post the link:
http://blackbag.nl/?p=408
October 12th, 2009 at 9:51 am
As J Marler said. And here is blog post with video that shows how:
http://blackbag.nl/?p=408
October 12th, 2009 at 10:00 am
Really the best lockpick for a doorknob is a hammer. One good swing and your in. If you have something important/valuable enough that somebody needs an unnoticeable entry causing them to use lockpicks you should probably invest in something a little more secure.
October 12th, 2009 at 10:03 am
dijital101, they do provide other types of lock - not only in a doorknob.
http://www.kwikset.com/smartkeyvs/images/vslocks.png
October 12th, 2009 at 10:50 am
Awwww crap. I have one of these.
October 12th, 2009 at 11:13 am
Not only the down-sides everyone else is mentioning…. My sister had one of these, pre-installed, on her town home. Her doorknob “forgot” her key somehow. Twice. This completely baffled me based on the design, but I know for a fact it happened somehow… and I believe she even ended up geting Kwikset to pay for the locksmith call. These things scare me.
October 12th, 2009 at 12:18 pm
I looked the SmartKey system a few months ago and the re-keying takes place on the exterior side…as indicated in the picture, and not the interior side. Still, it seems fairly secure, but I’d like to see a couple of independent studies first.
October 12th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
let’s face it a door knob and deadbolt keeps an honest man honest, your best protection is a good insurance policy, or this for the paranoid http://gadgets.boingboing.net/2007/10/12/the-backup-bedmounte.html
October 12th, 2009 at 12:58 pm
Any time complexity goes up, security goes down. So the answer would be “Less.”
But. The real purpose of locks isn’t to be impenetrable. It’s to avoid being low-hanging fruit.
If I’m especially determined to get what you’ve got, there’s really nothing consumer-grade that can stop me.
An armored vault with armed security is what it takes to deter the truly devoted, and sometimes that doesn’t even work.
But this is probably OK for your house, unless you’ve got a high profile for some reason.
October 12th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
2 Jake, I agree with insurance approach, however for insurance to work your lock has to be tamper evident - if it is not then there might be prooblems explaining/proving to insurance company that your doors were not opened with your key.
October 12th, 2009 at 5:19 pm
The best deterrent is the sign on my front lawn.
PREMISES PROTECTED BE MR’S SMITH WESON AND BROWNING.
October 12th, 2009 at 10:07 pm
Only trouble there Rubber Duck is that you’re advertising weapons to steal.
Good lighting and not creating areas around the outside of the house where people can work unseen by a passing car or neighbor are your best deterrents.
October 13th, 2009 at 6:02 pm
I have installed these and they are awesome.
They are just as secure as any other door lock, but the re-key feature is a winner.
I don’t have to root around and try to find a pair of ‘keyed alike’ locksets. I just grab two and go.
When the tenants move out, I re-key house to another key (usually from another lock set I have installed) and I’m am done in 5 minutes. No locksmith.
Kind of related, Kwikset sells a push-button deadbolt which I highly recommend.
November 10th, 2009 at 11:01 am
Hi all, I’m the person who made the decoder. While I appreciate the idea of a brick, solid boot, or other battering device to gain entry to a house or other facility, I still feel that a lock should be designed well and effective. The smartkey is effective against bumping, but not against decoding OR picking. Many people haven’t picked these, they do take time to master and generally decoding the lock is easier. The old series of this lock can also be forced open easily by taking a key cut to a 3 depth and forcing the cylinder to turn. There are tools for this that look kind of like an icepick.
When we publish vulnerabilities in these mechanisms it is to inform the public of potential problems with a device. Not everyone wants to pay a lot of money for a lock, but we should consider that you get what you pay for. There are also other reasons for requiring less than obvious entry into a locked area which do not involve theft. In this situation, the decoder leaves no evidence and afterward a working normal key is produced. Unlike lockpicking which leaves telling forensic evidence, using a decoder can cause issues. Especially for insurance or when trying to prove something in court.
Just like computer security, there will always be a game of cat and mouse when it comes to protecting assets. My suggestion is to have a security conscious house, and not just stop at the lock on the front door.