A Digital Lock Maker Tried To Squash A DEF CON Talk. It Happened Anyway. Here’s Why.

Researchers Dennis Giese and Braelynn presented findings at DEF CON showing that widely used keyless electronic locks from multiple vendors have design weaknesses (exposed debug pins, unprotected flash/EEPROM, unencrypted key values) allowing an attacker with physical access and inexpensive tools (e.g., screwdriver, custom PCB, Flipper Zero) to extract firmware, recover PINs, and clone master keys; a last-minute cease-and-desist from a vendor led to EFF involvement and minor presentation edits before the talk proceeded and vendors indicated planned mitigations.