Aaron Cashatt went on a yearlong crime spree across the U.S. exploiting a flaw in a common model of hotel keycard locks. He broke into hotel rooms to steal TVs and guests' belongings using an extremely easy hack, requiring only $50 worth of supplies. But eventually police agencies joined forces in Operation Hotel Ca$h, and Cashatt's now serving nine years -- behind locks presumably more invincible.
From Wired:
Read Full Article »When WIRED asked Onity about whether its lock vulnerability persists, the company responded in a statement that “mechanical solutions have been shipped to all known affected customers, enabling them to implement the security upgrade.” But it didn't specify how many of those “mechanical solutions” consisted of the actual replacement boards that fix the security issue or the cheap plastic plugs that Cashatt easily defeated.
In December of 2012, four months after its security flaw was first revealed, Onity did make deals with some major hotel chains, including Marriott, Hyatt, and InterContinental Hotel Group, to cover all or part of the cost of fully replacing their vulnerable locks, according to leaked memos I obtained at the time. And aside from a handful of robberies in Texas, no other intrusions that exploited the Onity attack have been publicly reported.
