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Hundreds Of Smart Locks Get Bricked By A Buggy Firmware Update (bleepingcomputer.com)

Posted by EditorDavid on from the world's-smartest-bricks dept.

An anonymous reader quotes BleepingComputer: On Tuesday, August 8, smart locks manufacturer LockState botched an over-the-air firmware update for its WiFi enabled [RemoteLock 6i] smart locks, causing the devices to lose connectivity to the vendor's servers and the ability to open doors for its users... The device costs $469 and is sold mainly to Airbnb hosts via an official partnership LockState has signed with the company. Hosts use the smart locks to configure custom access codes for each Airbnb renter without needing to give out a physical key to each one. The botched firmware bricked the device's smart code access mode. Physical keys continued to work. The botched firmware was a nuisance for private home owners, but it was a disaster for Airbnb hosts, who had to scramble to get customers physical keys so they could enter their rents.
The post includes tweets from angry lock owners, one complaining about a two-week wait for a replacement. The company is also offering to fix the defective units within "5-7 days," promising that "Every employee and resource at LockState is focused on resolving this for you as quickly as possible."

3 of 119 comments (clear)

  1. Re:QA testing.... by Maximum+Prophet · · Score: 4, Informative

    If you are late delivering the product, you *will* be fired. If you send the product prematurely, you *might* brick the device, and have to stay up late fixing it. You decide.

    --
    All ideas^H^H^H^H^Hprocesses in this post are Patent Pending. (as well as the process of patenting all postings)
  2. Wait, wait, wait... WHAT? by Opportunist · · Score: 4, Informative

    Can I hear that again?

    [...]causing the devices to lose connectivity to the vendor's servers[...]

    So, lemme get this straight: These things, that lock my home doors, have a connection to their vendor, reacting to this vendor's command to unlock or lock my home. Did I get that right?

    What sane person would WANT that in the first place???

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    1. Re:Wait, wait, wait... WHAT? by thegarbz · · Score: 3, Informative

      What sane person would WANT that in the first place???

      You think the only application for locks is one where you are in complete control. That isn't remotely true. Who would want this? Anyone who's main course of business relies on handing a stranger a key. The ability to control temporary locks digitally is far more security than a fixed easily copyable mechanism that can't be easily changed and is given to random strangers.

      Based on airbnb's stats alone I see 50 million applications.