$20 'Toy' Deactivates Cheap Home Alarms, Opens Doors

mask.of.sanity writes "Cheap home alarms, door opening systems and wireless mains switches can be bypassed with low-cost and home-made devices that can replicate their infrared signals. Fixed-code radio frequency systems could be attacked using a $20 'toy', or using basic DIY componentry. Quoting: 'Criminals might be able to capture IR signals if they can get a line of sight to when the system is being armed or disarmed. If a criminal knows what type of alarm system you're using then they could do what we did here and reverse it for cloning a remote. A more likely scenario is just to buy a duplicate system and use that remote. Not all IR remotes can be switched from the same system. It depends on whether a code is being transmitted and how many variations of the code and remote exist. In the system described in this post, there is no code, just a carrier signal. If a code is being transmitted, then the Infrared toy can capture it and replay it. So that's your best bet for a criminal looking at a completely unknown remote.'"

Ok? How is this new, or a big deal?

[Ferzerp]

So can many universal remotes, so can a computer, so can anything else.

This is almost as silly as the "access to an unencrypted disk is access to your data!!!!!" story from a few days ago.

Re:Ok? How is this new, or a big deal?

[Xicor]

it is a big deal because unlike a universal remote, security systems are supposed to be, well, secure. you shouldnt be able to hack a security system with a 20$ toy.

How common is IR arming remotes?

[140Mandak262Jamuna]

My home alarm system is almost a decade old. It is armed with a dial pad on egress door usually. It has one arm/disarm remote in the second floor. But it is not IR. It is RF, similar to garage door opener. It has rolling codes. Wondering how common is the IR disarming remotes for home security.

But I am more worried about the garage door openers coming with cars. They have usually three buttons in the rear view mirror. You hold the regular garage door open close to it and operate the door two or three times. Somehow the car gets not only the code but also the "rolling codes" and becomes a new duplicate garage door opener. Wondering what kind of security has been implemented there. If I use a sophisticated and powerful radio receiver to capture the code transmitted by the garage door opener two or three times, would it be enough to get the rolling code algorithm?

Society

[stooo]

It's almost as if the security society is selling the appearance of security instead of actual security. Surely, they wouldn't be so mercenary.

Re:Ok? How is this new, or a big deal?

[RoboRay]

Cheap universal remotes have limited frequency bands and can only manage capture and send short signals (discrete keys, say, instead of macros).

Good (and expensive, of course) universal remotes do not have these limits and would work fine.

The writer erroneously made a definitive statement based on a single data point.