Are you kept up at night thinking someone can trick your home’s motion sensor? What if it will not work as designed?
These are a few of the concerns we commonly encounter when somebody asks if motion sensors are an excellent choice to upgrade home security. There’s the Z wave motion sensor, and to help you understand, here’s a guide that answers what is a Z wave motion sensor?
Let us discuss the possible ways a person can trick a motion sensor at home.
You may also check the best z wave motion sensor on the market this year!
According to Research About Motion Sensor
Drew Porter, a senior security analyst of Bishop Fox, found ways to take advantage of a motion sensor’s blind spots or weak points. And these are his findings: (1)
A motion sensor uses its infrared motion detector to trigger the sensor and direct the intended functions. However, if you could cover your body with anything thick and adapt to the room’s humidity, it could bypass the sensor. So, what Drew Porter did was surround himself with styrofoam while walking past the sensor.
For doors, they use magnetic fields to detect movement. You simply have to apply force onto them to trip off the sensor, Porter said. (2)
With that said, technically, these sensors have a standard design and function. Therefore, bypassing a motion sensor can be risky, but it is possible.
In fact, Porter’s research was able to reset the sensor by directing a light source of a particular wavelength to its lens. The light will blind the device’s motion detector. That goes to show that even the most innovative devices are vulnerable to trickery if we discover their weak points. After all, no invention is 100% perfect. And that is where improvement comes from.
Moreover, the researchers also tackled the alarm system of the motion sensors. Most of them are using a keypad system that will then send the signal to the sensor hub to notify the owner of the sensor’s activity.
They concluded that the keypad system is using basic cellular technology. Hence, it is easy to trick the alerts through a nearby cellular tower. Hackers can intercept them by installing a rogue battle station. And worst, they could trip off the entire sensor remotely. (3)
What Should Be The Answer To These Tricks?
Drew Porter was asked what the manufacturers should avoid in making them.
His answer is spectacular.
Replacing the technology of these motion sensors is useless since the functions are still the same. Therefore, the best counter to these attacks is to build new units with unique mechanisms that the hackers are not familiar with yet.
Conclusion
Is it possible to trick a motion sensor? The answer is yes. And according to a security consultant from Bishop Fox, different methods work to bypass the device’s ability to detect movement.
Have you tried to bypass your sensor at home? Please share your experience through the comment section below.
References
(1) Basic Fox – https://www.bishopfox.com/
(2) magnetic fields – https://www.britannica.com/science/magnetic-field
(3) basic cellular technology – https://www.mat.ucsb.edu/~g.legrady/academic/courses/03w200a/projects/wireless/cell_technology.htm
