If you stay often in hotels, beware;

[MichaelJoeWilliamson]

No, not a bedbug thread.

LAST MONTH Cody Brocious, a software developer for Mozilla, the company that makes the Firefox web browser, appeared at a hacking conference in Las Vegas to demonstrate a security flaw in hotel-room locks manufactured by a company called Onity. Mr Brocious's paper on the flaw is available on his website, but suffice it to say that using a $30 microcontroller that he plugs into an open port at the bottom of the hotel room locks, he can access what may be as many as millions of hotel rooms worldwide.

ExtremeTech's Sebastian Anthony calls this a "stupendously disgusting lack of security" and argues that "for a company that is tasked with securing millions of humans every night...it would’ve been nice if Onity had shown slightly more foresight."

http://www.economist.com/blogs/gulliver/2012/08/hotel-room-hacks

[G8trGr8t]

Saw that on TV report a couple of weeks back. Pretty sad that little to nothing is being done about it

[Gatorrick22]

No, not a bedbug thread.



http://www.economist.com/blogs/gulliver/2012/08/hotel-room-hacks

I knew this would happen as soon as they switched to those stupid locks. I mean.....duh.

[PIMking]

I can tell you (since I'm the Assistant GM now at my property) that this is true. We have Onity locks on our property and never had an issue with any security what so ever. with that being said as soon as it was known we bought these new devices that cover the little hole on the bottom that takes roughly av jack sized plug.

It also helps that we lock our doors at 11pm at night, and do routine safety/security walks through out the day and night.

[secgator]

I can tell you (since I'm the Assistant GM now at my property) that this is true. We have Onity locks on our property and never had an issue with any security what so ever. with that being said as soon as it was known we bought these new devices that cover the little hole on the bottom that takes roughly av jack sized plug.

It also helps that we lock our doors at 11pm at night, and do routine safety/security walks through out the day and night.

Are you still at the same property you were at a couple of years ago when I stopped by and met you when I was working Alabama Athletic Dept that day? Nice place by the way, just too close to the path of the tornado.

As far as the OP topic, I am out in hotels less than I used to be--only 100 nights per year or so now as compared to 170-200 per year as I used to do, but that report definitely caught my eye last month when I first heard of it.

[ThePlayer]

You can peep right into someone else's room...just ask Erin Andrews.

[TheGator]

I can tell you (since I'm the Assistant GM now at my property) that this is true. We have Onity locks on our property and never had an issue with any security what so ever. with that being said as soon as it was known we bought these new devices that cover the little hole on the bottom that takes roughly av jack sized plug.

It also helps that we lock our doors at 11pm at night, and do routine safety/security walks through out the day and night.

How hard is it to take off that cover. Shouldn't be difficult.

[MichaelJoeWilliamson]

How hard is it to take off that cover. Shouldn't be difficult.

The article says part of the lock has to be dismantled to do it.

[PIMking]

Are you still at the same property you were at a couple of years ago when I stopped by and met you when I was working Alabama Athletic Dept that day? Nice place by the way, just too close to the path of the tornado.

As far as the OP topic, I am out in hotels less than I used to be--only 100 nights per year or so now as compared to 170-200 per year as I used to do, but that report definitely caught my eye last month when I first heard of it.


Not anymore, I'm now the AGM at the Courtyard by Marriott in Tuscaloosa, much much better place. Also btw, the Microtel was sold to an Indian family.

How hard is it to take off that cover. Shouldn't be difficult.

I guess they were only temporary, but the handle and cover had to be taken off to get it off. We got a shipment of new boards for all the locks here and they're being swapped out now as we speak.

[Spurffelbow833]

Just because you can computerize something doesn't mean you should. What's wrong with keys? Oh, I know, eliminate keys and you eliminate the need for locksmiths and you can ship another technology job overseas.

[chemgator]

I spent a couple weeks in China recently, and stayed in a very nice resort hotel. Breakfast was served in the western restaurant, and they tried their best to label all the foods on the buffet in English. Sometimes they called things like pork sausage "pig intestinal" and similar things. Other times, they grabbed whatever English phrase was handy and put it in front of a food item. One day, I discovered a strange food item labelled "secret listening device--speak softly". It turns out that party officials like to spy on other party officials (and sometimes foreigners). It disappeared the next day (I wondered if it was because they were listening while we were laughing about it at breakfast!).

[Juggernautz]

I can tell you (since I'm the Assistant GM now at my property) that this is true. We have Onity locks on our property and never had an issue with any security what so ever. with that being said as soon as it was known we bought these new devices that cover the little hole on the bottom that takes roughly av jack sized plug.

It also helps that we lock our doors at 11pm at night, and do routine safety/security walks through out the day and night.

I think I may feel a tab bit more secure now that I read that in the Motel we'll be staying at when we visit my ex-wife's son in Grovetown/Augusta GA next month but then again not so secure. :cry:

[busigator96]

Brass keys are the best

[PIMking]

Just because you can computerize something doesn't mean you should. What's wrong with keys? Oh, I know, eliminate keys and you eliminate the need for locksmiths and you can ship another technology job overseas.

You know how many keys I have to remake everyday at work for people that leave them in their room, or lose them? imagine that with real keys, imagine them taking those keys with them (which happens all the time).

[secgator]

You know how many keys I have to remake everyday at work for people that leave them in their room, or lose them? imagine that with real keys, imagine them taking those keys with them (which happens all the time).

Bet you have to remake a bunch as well due to folks putting them too close to their cell phones and wiping out the magnetic key strip.:laugh: