Wyze smart door locks are a popular addition to smart homes. However, like all smart locks, these locks are considered vulnerable to hacking. 

Wyze locks can be hacked since they operate on a wireless Bluetooth system that is easy for dedicated hackers to break into. Another safety issue with smart locks like Wyze is that they can be pried off with a flathead screwdriver. Wyze locks are not more secure than traditional door locks. 

If Wyze locks aren’t more secure than traditional locks, are they worth the effort to install? Luckily, there are several tips you can follow to help make your Wyze smart lock setup more secure. Read on to learn more about Wyze smart lock security and how to stay safe with yours.

Wyze Locks Can Be Hacked

The biggest security risk involved with Wyze smart locks is that like other devices dependent on a wireless connection, there is a chance that the wireless connection can be hacked and accessed remotely by someone other than the primary user. 

Smart locks feature several built-in vulnerabilities that put them at risk during their operations, including the following: 

  • Plain text password files: The simple text passwords used by many people to protect their wireless networks are usually designed to be easy to remember, but this also makes them very easy for veteran hackers to crack. Hackers can use a cracking program that tries different password combinations until it finds the correct one.Decompiling APK files: APK files are files used in software applications for Android operating systems. Hackers may try to trick users with Trojan software downloads that will compromise the security of their system.Device spoofing: Spoofing in cybersecurity involves hackers using a falsified IP address to emulate the IP address of your home and jump on your connected networks. Device spoofing allows hackers to access your Bluetooth-enabled devices and control them. Spoofing is usually achieved by sending the user an infected link.Replay attacks: Replay attacks are conducted by hackers when they intercept wireless signals and redirect them. Any signals such as wireless passwords can then be cracked and decoded even if the messages are encrypted just by replicating them.

Unfortunately for smart home systems, using a wireless network for your smart locks like Wyze does place your smart home at some risk of a cybersecurity attack. But how likely is it that someone will try to access your account?  

Is It Likely That a Wyze Lock Will Be Hacked?

Despite the relative lack of wireless security that Wyze presents when it comes to a smart lock system, the chances of someone actually hacking into your Wyze system is low. Most thieves don’t have the technical ability to hack into a digital system. 

Cases where hackers and cybercriminals have used smart locks to access homes for robbery are rare, and just a few simple security measures can help deter the majority of people who might try to access your system. 

How to Keep Wyze Locks Secure

Even though Wyze locks subject users to the same security concerns that are present with any smart lock system, there are a few easy methods for preventing outsiders from getting access to your wireless network. Here are the two biggest tips for keeping your Wyze network secure (Source: Wyze Support): 

  • Don’t reuse passwords. Many people fall into the trap of using the same password or variation of password for all of their devices in order to make them easier to access and the passwords easier to remember. Keep in mind that the easier you make your password for you, the easier you make it for hackers, too.Use two-factor authentication. Two-factor authentication is an extra layer of cybersecurity that requires the user to input an additional identifying credential to prove that they’re the valid user of the system. This may require a text to be sent to the user’s phone and verified, or a verification may be sent through email.

By using these two methods, the security of your wireless network will be much higher and you’ll be much less likely to have your system breached by cybercriminals. Keep in mind that criminals of any stripe will usually choose the path of least resistance, so putting up barriers in their way often deters them altogether. 

Are Smart Locks Safer Than Key Locks? 

While smart locks are considered more efficient than key locks and they’re another way that you can integrate your home’s digital systems into one single smart home ecosystem, smart locks aren’t necessarily safer or more secure than key locks. Since Wyze locks and key locks both operate using the deadbolt system, they’re pretty equivalent in physical security. 

The advantage of smart locks is that they allow you to easily check whether the locks in your home have been secured, and they allow you to lock your doors even when you’re not at home. Many thieves will happily take advantage of an unlocked door or window before they’ll bust in or hack in, so the ability to check your door security remotely is a major security benefit.

Wyze Locks Need Cybersecurity

Since Wyze locks operate on a Bluetooth-enabled wireless network, they innately contain some security risks that aren’t posed by traditional analog locks. Reinforcing Wyze’s security and using the system to keep your home locked up tight can go a long way towards preventing criminals from trying to break into your home or your network.