Hacking Into Someone’s Home using Radio Waves: Ethical Hacking of Securitas’ Alarm System
2021 (English)Independent thesis Advanced level (degree of Master (Two Years)), 20 credits / 30 HE credits
Student thesisAlternative title
Hacka in i Någons Hem med hjälp av Radiovågor : Etiskt Hackning av Securitas Hemlarmsystem (Swedish)
Abstract [en]
The number of IoT systems in our homes has exploded in recent years. By 2025 it is expected that the number of IoT devices will reach 38 billion. Home alarm systems are an IoT product that has increased dramatically in number and complexity in recent years. Besides triggering an alarm when an intruder tries to break in, a modern system can now control your light bulbs, lock and unlock your front door remotely, and interact with your smart speaker. They are undeniably effective in deterring physical intrusion. However, given the recent rise in complexity how well do they hold up against cyber attacks? In this thesis, a smart home alarm system from SecuritasHome is examined. A comprehensive security analysis was performed using penetration testing techniques and threat modeling. The work focused mainly on radio frequency (RF) hacking against the systems RF communication. Among other things, a critical vulnerability was found in the proprietary RF protocol, allowing an attacker to disarm an armed system and thus completely bypass the system’s functionality. The security of the system was deemed to be lacking.
Abstract [sv]
Antalet IoT system i våra hem har exploderat de senaste åren. Vid år 2025 förväntas antalet IoT enheter nå 38 miljarder. Hemlarmsystem är en typ av IoT-produkt som ökat dramatiskt i komplexitet på senare tid. Förutom att framkalla ett larm vid ett intrång kan ett modernt hemlamsystem numera kontrollera dina glödlampor, låsa och låsa upp din ytterdörr, samt kontrollera dina övervakningskameror. De är utan tvekan effektiva på att förhindra fysiska intrång, men hur väl står de emot cyberattacker? I denna uppsats undersöks ett hemlarmsystem från SecuritasHome. En utförlig säkerhetsanalys gjordes av systemet med penetrationstestnings-metodiker och hotmodellering. Arbetet fokuserade mestadels på radiovågshackning (RF) mot systemets RF-kommunikation. Bland annat hittades en kritiskt sårbarhet i systemets RF-protokoll som gör det möjligt för en angripare att avlarma ett larmat system, och därmed kringå hela systemets funktionalitet. Säkerheten av systemet bedömdes vara bristfällig.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2021. , p. 90
Series
TRITA-EECS-EX ; 2021:351
Keywords [en]
penetration testing, threat modeling, IoT, computer security, home alarm system
Keywords [sv]
penetrationstestning, hotmodellering, IoT, datasäkerhet, hemlarmsystem
National Category
Computer Sciences
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-302999OAI: oai:DiVA.org:kth-302999DiVA, id: diva2:1600180
External cooperation
Försvarsmakten (Swedish Armed Forces)
Subject / course
Computer Science
Educational program
Master of Science - Computer Science
Supervisors
Examiners
2021-10-052021-10-042022-06-25Bibliographically approved