Unlock Your Doors With a Knock Code

Erica Campbell writes to tell us IsraCast is reporting that E-lock has developed a new kind of lock technology designed to open a door based on a "knock code." From the article: "This innovation is based on patented technology which uses a series of quick knocking sounds. The discrete mechanical knocks open the lock and are produced by a small device that can be carried by any authorized person. The device which opens the lock needs to touch the door (which can be made out of any material such as metal, wood, plastic or glass) to cause the lock mechanism to open. Since there is no keyhole or contact point on the door, this unique mechanism offers a significantly higher level of security then existing technology."

Comments

this knocking sequence seems too easy to copy

[zaphod31]

Just a little micophone and you can tape the tapping : not on my door

Re:this knocking sequence seems too easy to copy

[PingPongBoy]

First of all, knocking sequences on a door may be a bit insecure as I'll justify below. It's unusual though and could be a novelty. Now, programs could be protected from casual or accidental execution if mouse clicks are customized.

changes every time

The alphabet is so small though. Short and long beats and short, long, and zero rests. That's 4 characters. If it can be assumed that no one will use consecutive rests, there is still limited number of passwords.

Remembering different passwords is painful, especially if they change often. Therefore, they will be have to be short and sweet. All a break-in artist has to do is get a unit of his own and get familiar with the most common knocks. They should get recycled eventually and the probability of finding the right knock in 3 tries could be quite good.

Re:this knocking sequence seems too easy to copy

[gutnor]

"The alphabet is so small though. Short and long beats and short, long, and zero rests. That's 4 characters"

- this message uses only 0 and 1 characters -

Re:this knocking sequence seems too easy to copy

[khakipuce]

What the article does say is that all Knock Keys are the same. This means that if I record the knocks, I can (given time etc... ) figure out your pin code, I can then use my kock key and your code to open the door. Or easier, I just watch you enter your code on the keypad via a security camera and come along and open your door.

Another view of this is that millions of locks in the world are not really there for security, they are there for safety reasons and managing the keys for these is a nightmare. Utility companies have thousands of bits of plant at remote locations (pumping stations, substations ...). Given that many of these are located away from populaiton centres no amount of locking will prevent a determined theif from breaking in with heavy cutting gear. This safety situation also applies to power distrubution cubicles in buildings, lif shaft access, etc.

The plant is locked to prevent unauthorised access, and unsafe operation. So in these cases I can see a use for this type of lock. Its a lot easier to keep a list of access codes against lock numbers than it is to manage thousands of physical keys - which people put in their pocket and then go away on leave for a fortnight.

Re:cool

[Rothron the Wise]

RTFA. The knocks are different each time. Recording the knocks would not help you. I'm guessing they generate the knocks by
using a pseudorandom generator with the current time, and your pincode as seed.

Re:Higher security?

[Loconut1389]

that assumes the door itself, lock components, frame and surrounding wall are strong enough to withstand an assault. A steel door with steel frame will typically survive a good hearty kick, but if the lock shaft is shoddy, it will be the failure point (or perhaps the hinges). I've seen wooden doors with many internal locks where the hinge side is the failure point (takes a strong dude however).

Anyway, point is, the strongest PKI based lock is pointless on a hollow core door with 1ply and cardboard, or even on vastly stronger doors if it is in a position to have heavy objects rammed at it. If you're in a high security situation that requires that kind of access, it doesn't sound too unreasonable to assume someone would want in badly enough to borrow a fence post driver and try and bash their way through.

Re:Security though obscurity...

[tagevm]

RTFA. Why do you (and about half the other commenters so far) naturally assume that the technology is that simple?

"Even more importantly, if an unauthorized person tries to record the knocking sequence and play it back in order to open the door, the lock will not open since the knocking sequence changes every time"

As another commenter noted, the main reason this is a bad idea is that you're SOL if the battery or power is out.

Don't drink and knock

[Jivha]

What happens after the designated driver drops you off home?

"Bye dude...thanks and whatever...yeehaa..."

"Okie...so now what was the knock again...."

knockity, knockity, knoccck

Invalid entry. Please try again.

knock, knock-de-knock

Invalid entry. Please try again.

knock, knock, knock

Invalid entry. Please try again.

Kicks the door. Mutters all known curses.

Invalid entry. You have 2 more options before the system is locked for the next 12 hours.

Re:Security though obscurity...

[caffeination]

Anyone in audio range can hear the notes as you dial numbers on lots of home alarm systems too. They're considered fairly secure anyway. Hopefully they've stopped including this 'feature' on newer systems.

Here's why I think this is all irrelevant anyway: This lock isn't intended, or at least isn't ideal for home use. The fact of the matter is that the locking mechanism on the doors isn't usually the weak point of a person's home. Most break-ins rely on poor security practice and the weak structural strength of the door itself. That's right, they can't decrypt the key, so they just brute force it.

So I think this is for other uses, like warehouses, where it would be handy to be able to store lots of different combos on one clicker. There's no added risk - all your eggs are likely to already be in the one basket in the form of a keyring.

Re:Higher security?

[operagost]

The same goes for house doors, cars, etc (I read a test once that any car can be opened within 5 minutes, the more popular the car, the more well-known the trick is to open it).

My trick? Cinder block.

Re:Higher security?

[jridley]

Talk to a fireman sometime. If they want to get in to a place, they usually totally avoid the door and go through the wall next to the door. It's usually just a piece of 1/2" plywood and 1/2" drywall with some pine studs and siding. You can get through it pretty fast.

Weakest link?

[AnotherBlackHat]

Since there is no keyhole or contact point on the door, this unique mechanism offers a significantly higher level of security then existing technology.

It's only a significant improvement if the old lock was the weakest point.

Kicking in the door, unlocked / poorly locked windows (or just a brick), carding the door, open skylights ... the list of potential vulnerabilities is almost endless.

At a guess, I'd say windows, not doors are the weakest physical link in security, with "leaving the back door unlocked" a close second.

-- Should you trust authority without question?