We Asked Five Security Experts If Smart Locks Are Ever Safe. An automatic firmware update broke Lock.

State’s internet- enabled “smart locks” for around 5. Airbnb hosts who use the locks to remotely manage rental access. Customers have to replace their locks or ship them back for repairs.

The locks can still be operated with a physical key.)Smart locks, like so many “Internet of Things” devices, are vulnerable to a host of tech issues. Last year security consultant Anthony Rose revealed huge security flaws in Bluetooth- enabled door locks. Of the 1. 6 locks he tested, Rose managed to break into 1. Smart locks don’t seem any more foolproof than when our sister site Gizmodo explored smart- lock security four years ago. We asked five security experts whether these locks are fundamentally insecure. None of these experts is ready to entirely write off all smart locks.

An automatic firmware update broke LockState’s internet-enabled “smart locks” for around 500 customers earlier this month, including around 200 Airbnb hosts who. No more missed important software updates! UpdateStar 11 lets you stay up to date and secure with the software on your computer.

Like so much of technology, you simply have to decide who to trust and how much to trust them,” says security technologist, author, and Harvard lecturer Bruce Schneier, who testified before Congress last year about the “catastrophic risks” of insecure internet- enabled devices.“There is always a risk that a net- enabled lock will get bricked or hacked,” says MIT professor Stuart Madnick, “most likely due to the actions (or carelessness) of the owner.” But he points out that old- fashioned key- and- lock solutions have their own user- created risks: “One of my popular sayings is: ‘You may buy a stronger lock for your door, but if you still leave the key under the mat, are you really any more secure?’”Madnick compares the trade- off to the increased risks of driving a car instead of a horse. Are you willing to trade your car in for a horse?”Jeremiah Grossman, Chief of Security Strategy at cybersecurity firm Sentinel. Watch Let Me Make You A Martyr Tube Free on this page. One, compares smart locks to older remote systems like prison security doors and receptionist- controlled buzzers. He says internet- connected locks can sometimes be an appropriate solution: Would I personally entrust the security of my home to such a device? Not at the moment, but in the future as the devices get better and more secure I might trust them more. Should others use them?

Sure, depending on their living situation. And people might consider using them for doorways where what they’re securing isn’t critically important to them. That’s one hell of a caveat for a $4. Grossman recently tweeted about deeper implications of an insecure smart lock update system: But Grossman says we shouldn’t ask whether smart locks are “fundamentally insecure” but whether they are “secure enough for a given application.”Alan Grau, co- founder of security software provider Icon Labs, puts it similarly: There is no question people are going to use smart locks despite the risks. I think the questions to be asked are not if these solutions should be used, but rather what are the risks? How do these risks compare to traditional locks?

What can [lock makers] do to ensure that a reasonable layer of security is built into these devices? Security reporter Brian Krebs had the harshest words, saying it bothers him that so many people are installing smart locks. To break through a lock, he says, an attacker has always had to be on- site. With internet- enabled locks, you’ve removed that expensive (and from an attacker’s perspective, risky) cost from the equation.” He still won’t write off the technology entirely. I am not saying there can’t be remotely- enabled locks that are also secure. But I’d wager on balance that most of those in use today are probably nowhere near as secure as they should be.”With all these caveats, the consensus seems to be that smart locks trade off a lot of expected security for more convenience. Before you buy a smart lock, research its known security issues, and know that new ones could crop up.

But remember that if you use it wrong, any lock is insecure.

What’s better than serving gin and tonics at a party? Having a whole gin and tonic bar, that’s what. A few weeks ago I went to an event for Beefeater in San.

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Have a DIY Gin & Tonic Bar at Your Next Party. What’s better than serving gin and tonics at a party?

Having a whole gin and tonic bar, that’s what. A few weeks ago I went to an event for Beefeater in San Francisco. They had your traditional bar there, with a bartender mixing up fancy cocktails. There was also a DIY Gin & Tonic bar.

You could ask the bartender for just a glass with ice and gin in it, and then use the assortment of tonic waters and accouterments on the table to build your own. The idea was so fun I started doing it whenever I had friends over… and it was a big hit. There’s something fun about mixing your own drinks, at least in my opinion. We all want to pretend we’re masters at cocktails, but truth be told most of us have pretty much no idea what we’re doing. A gin & tonic bar is a pretty low- key attempt at an open bar. Even for those that have never had a G& T before, it’s a tough one to really screw up.

For the most part, you can put whatever you want on the bar as options, and (almost) any concoction your guests come up with will be drinkable. As someone who always becomes the default bartender in my group of friends, I really liked not being in charge of everyone’s drinks for once, and everyone in attendance seemed to really like experimenting on their own. Here’s what you need to build your own: Get a few bottles of gin. Different gins will have different flavors. It can be fun to experiment with different options.

Some of my favorites include: The Botanist, Aviator, and Bulldog. Get a few tonic water options. Just like the gin, tonic water will add different flavors to your G& T. I love Fever Tree’s Tonic water.

Other good options include Q and Fentimans. If you’re feeling particularly adventurous you can also make your own. Cut up fruit and veggies and put them on a plate. In general, grapefruit, cucumbers, lime and oranges go well with gin and tonics. I’ve seen people use more adventurous fruits like strawberries, watermelon, peaches and blueberries as well. Grab at least three or four options from your local grocery and cut them up, displaying them on a plate for guests. Offer a few spices.

I really love muddling a bit of basil in the bottom of a glass and pairing that with grapefruit for a G& T. Fresh basil and rosemary can both be great options to have on hand. Cinnamon sticks, peppercorns, juniper berries, and cardamon can also be big hits. Think about what flavors you like in a G& T and then pick things that will enhance that. You can lay these out in their respective containers, or put them in small bowls.

Set everything up on a side table (I use a long, short bookshelf near my dining room table). You’ll want to lay out everything I listed above, and then put some (small) glasses and a bucket of ice (as well as something to scoop it out) on the table as well.

Small glasses are key here. That means your guests can make a few drinks over the course of the night, and nobody gets carried away and uses half a bottle of gin to make something horrible. For guests that don’t know what they’re doing, I’d suggest starting with a basic 1: 1 recipe one ounce of gin to every one ounce of tonic water, that’s easy enough to eyeball), and then telling them to select just one or two ingredients from the table to enhance it. Light drinkers can double the amount of tonic. It’s VERY hard to go wrong with just adding a few of the fruits (although I’m sure someone can do it).

Spices should be used sparingly, but those are pretty difficult to screw up as well as long as you’re limiting your selection to just a small amount of one. As the night progresses, you’ll be surprised what awesome creations your guests come up with, and they’ll definitely be talking about it much more than they would if you labored over their drinks all night.