Best Bypass Proof Digital Lock

[eX1LE]

I am from the UK and I have bet with a locksmith who has challenged me to find a keyless digital lock which cannot be opened without complete physical destruction I started off with a few of these similar types of locks https://doorcontrolsdirect.co.uk/95-cod ... 0wodjGMKWA but it seems they can all be bypassed or there is a master key.

I am now looking at some more higher end more expensive locks and I have been told that most of the bluetooth or wireless "smart" locks can easily be hacked so without losing too much money do you guys have any suggestions on which locks I should get for him to test and why are keyless door locks so weak.

[cledry]

How about winning the bet with a Kaba X10? If he can defeat it he has my utmost admiration.

[eX1LE]

haha good choice shame it costs $1,500 i have sent him the specs and he will see if its possible

[greengrowlocks]

Maybe the modern Assa Cliq system ? I don't have any hands on experience with them but to my knowledge they haven't been bypassed but the older Cliq Classic system has.

Here is a video showing how the mechanism works
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VA1D7_ ... e=youtu.be

[gumptrick]

why are keyless door locks so weak.

In my opinion a lot of it has to do with complexity. Any kind of electronic lock has to combine two totally different technologies: the electronic components as well as the mechanical ones that physically lock up. The more complicated something is then the more opportunities there are to attack it, and also the more likely that there is a vulnerability somewhere. As they say, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. The more links (complexity) you have the more chances there are for one to contain a flaw that could be exploited.

I also think that some people automatically assume that something fancy and new must necessarily be better than what they are used to. For example, a lot of people take one look at a cylindrical pin-tumbler lock and automatically assume that it's pick-proof because it's so exotic compared to a plain 'ol key. Yet from an expert's perspective they are often easier to pick than a typical lock because you have much easier access to the pins.

[demux]

why are keyless door locks so weak.

In my opinion a lot of it has to do with complexity. Any kind of electronic lock has to combine two totally different technologies: the electronic components as well as the mechanical ones that physically lock up. The more complicated something is then the more opportunities there are to attack it, and also the more likely that there is a vulnerability somewhere. As they say, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. The more links (complexity) you have the more chances there are for one to contain a flaw that could be exploited.

I also think that some people automatically assume that something fancy and new must necessarily be better than what they are used to. For example, a lot of people take one look at a cylindrical pin-tumbler lock and automatically assume that it's pick-proof because it's so exotic compared to a plain 'ol key. Yet from an expert's perspective they are often easier to pick than a typical lock because you have much easier access to the pins.

That, and design decisions. A lot of electronic locks, particularly in the home/consumer/light commercial space, are designed with price point and ease of use as the primary constraints, and not so much for security. After all, the companies that market them have to be able to sell them to stay in business.

[Silverado]

If you really wanted to win, and cost were not a factor, I would think an advanced biometric system would be the best bypass resistance.
Heck, challenge him to bypass the fingerprint scanner on your mobile phone (if it has one) as it's still by all technical terms a 'keyless, digital lock'.

[gumptrick]

That, and design decisions. A lot of electronic locks, particularly in the home/consumer/light commercial space, are designed with price point and ease of use as the primary constraints, and not so much for security.

That's very true too. I've noticed that some locks, even supposedly "high security" types from well known makers, often have this problem. They have one main feature that's a selling point for the lock, but they may be very weak in other areas. I've seen a few pin tumblers that had a really nasty keyway but that was honestly the only security feature in the lock--they had zero security pins. Other times you might find a padlock with a nasty core but it may be vulnerable to bypassing or shimming. It wouldn't surprise me if a fancy new electronic lock might be marketed based on a specific feature yet have weaknesses in other areas.

If you really wanted to win, and cost were not a factor, I would think an advanced biometric system would be the best bypass resistance.
Heck, challenge him to bypass the fingerprint scanner on your mobile phone (if it has one) as it's still by all technical terms a 'keyless, digital lock'.

I think the difference between the mobile phone and a biometric lock on a door are very different. In the case of the phone you either have to fool the scanner somehow, or perhaps hack the phone's software (and I don't know enough about that to say if it were practical or not). But if you have a lock on a door you have many other possibilities to attack it.

EDIT - Removed bypass and destructive entry information. This is not the advanced forum!!! GWiens2001 - Moderator

Modern tech may be better, but any sort of biometric reader must have some kind of built-in tolerance otherwise it would lock out authorized users if their fingers were dirty, had a cut, moved a little during the scan, etc.

In my opinion the best security would be to combine biometrics with a high security mechanical lock. That way anyone seeking to gain unauthorized access is forced to deal with both problems in a parallel manner.

[Ralph_Goodman]

A lot of electronic locks, particularly in the home/consumer/light commercial space, are designed with price point and ease of use as the primary constraints, and not so much for security.

I think that price is a large part of it, but your line about "ease of use" rings the truest. Almost no one seems to care about security with digital locks. They want security, sure, but they are more concerned with convenience.

And when someone cares about security, they don't want to pay for it, so even if they say they want security, they are not acting as if they believe that is true.

I think that is it. "Why are keyless door locks so weak?" Because strength is the first thing the average consumer is willing to compromise on. They will not compromise on ease of access or price because the price you deal with up front, and access you have to deal with every time you use the lock.

Security is abstract. It does not pay off in an obvious way. (Which is not the same as not paying off). The best security just sits there and never even looks like it has been damaged. And what is reliable will always be taken for granted.