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$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 $20 'toy', or using basic DIY componentry. Quoting: 'Criminals might be able to capture IR signals if they can get a line of sight to when the system is being armed or disarmed. If a criminal knows what type of alarm system you're using then they could do what we did here and reverse it for cloning a remote. A more likely scenario is just to buy a duplicate system and use that remote. Not all IR remotes can be switched from the same system. It depends on whether a code is being transmitted and how many variations of the code and remote exist. In the system described in this post, there is no code, just a carrier signal. If a code is being transmitted, then the Infrared toy can capture it and replay it. So that's your best bet for a criminal looking at a completely unknown remote.'"
it is a big deal because unlike a universal remote, security systems are supposed to be, well, secure. you shouldnt be able to hack a security system with a 20$ toy.
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.