Research on smart-locks cybersecurity and vulnerabilities

Smart-locks have become increasingly popular for access to homes and businesses in many countries, because of their ease of use and adaptability. These locks offer a simple and secure alternative to traditional key-based entry, making them an attractive choice for both residential and commercial properties. Nevertheless, it is essential to acknowledge the potential security threats that come with any new technology. The security of smart-locks is particularly critical, as a breach could result in unauthorized entry. Since the smart-locks can connect, there are different ways to check if vulnerabilities can be found easily or on the contrary, if the security level is high. Two of the main ways of checking the security level of this kind of IoT device are the information that can be obtained from the Android application and the security level of the Bluetooth connection. Many vulnerabilities can be found in the Android smart lock management application. This application is very useful to perform all the configurations with such a lock, but if it is not properly implemented and secured, it can provide clues for malicious users to perform unauthorized access to the system. Another security factor is the Bluetooth connection. This ensures that only authorized users have access to the property. In this work, we have analyzed the security level of different parts of smart-locks. In particular, we have analyzed the security of the applications for the most important smart-locks on the market. This study reveals relevant information such as whether the application is obfuscated or not, the encryption algorithm for the Bluetooth connection, or relevant URLs that applications use to connect to the cloud. The security of the Bluetooth connection between the smartphone application and two selected smart-locks was also analyzed. It was demonstrated that if no encryption is used for the Bluetooth connection, the smart-lock is not secure, but if AES encryption is used, the security level is high.Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. Research supported by the Cátedra Institucional de Ciberseguridad Binter and the Cátedra Edosoft de Computación en la Nube e Inteligencia Artificial, both from the University of La Laguna

Smart-Lock Attack Through Bluetooth Communications Replication

The rise of smart locks has made them present in many homes and business in a large number of countries. This is due to their user-friendly design and the flexibility they offer. Smart-locks usually offer a convenient and secure way to unlock the door without the need for keys. However, as with any new technology, there are potential security risks that need to be considered. In particular, bluetooth security of smart-locks is very important because a leak can provide unauthorized access. Bluetooth is a wireless technology that allows devices to communicate with each other. It is used in a variety of devices, including smartphones, laptops, and now smart-locks. While Bluetooth offers many benefits, it also poses a security risk if it is not properly secured. To ensure the smart-lock is secure, one of the security factors must be considered is the Bluetooth security. This will ensure that only authorized users can access the home or business. In this work, the security of the Nuki smart-lock through bluetooth communications have been checked.Research supported by the CDTI (Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology), the Ministry of Economy Industry and Competitiveness, Celtic-Plus EUREKA and the European Regional Development Fund, under Project IMMINENCE C2020/2-2

Fabrication of black-gold coatings by glancing angle deposition with sputtering

The fabrication of black-gold coatings using sputtering is reported here. Glancing angle deposition with a rotating substrate is needed to obtain vertical nanostructures. Enhanced light absorption is obtained in the samples prepared in the ballistic regime with high tilt angles. Under these conditions the diameter distribution of the nanostructures is centered at about 60 nm and the standard deviation is large enough to obtain black-metal behavior in the visible rangeEspaña Mineco MAT2014-59772-C2-1 MAT2015-69035-RED

Growth of silver on ZnO and SnO2 thin films intended for low emissivity applications

In the present work we have investigated the relationships existing between the optical properties and the growth mechanism, microstructure and surface roughness of SnO2 and ZnO oxide films prepared by magnetron sputtering under conditions resembling those utilized in industry. Thin films of these oxides with different thicknesses were characterized by atomic force microscopy, glancing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD), X-ray reflectometry and spectroscopic ellipsometry. The roughness evolution of the film properties (density, surface roughness and refraction index) as a function of their thickness has been evaluated within the concepts of the Dynamic Scaling Theory of thin film growth. Zinc oxide films were rougher than tin oxide films of similar thickness, indicating a different growing mechanism for the two materials. Silver was evaporated onto the surface of the two oxide thin films and its earlier stages of nucleation studied by background analysis of the X-ray photoemission spectra. A different nucleation mechanism was found depending on the nature of the oxide acting as substrate. The superior performance of the zinc oxide based low emissive coatings is related with a better wetting of silver on the surface of this oxide despite the comparatively lower roughness of the tin oxide layers.Junta de Andalucía P09-CTS- 5189 TEP5283 FQM-6900España Ministerio de Competitividad CONSOLIDER CSD2008-00023 MAT2010-21228 MAT2010-1844

Morphological evolution of pulsed laser deposited ZrO2 thin films

Morphological evolution of ZrO2 thin films deposited during pulsed laser deposition of Zr in O2 atmosphere has been experimentally studied at two different film deposition temperatures, 300 and 873 K. The roughness exponent, , the growth exponent, , the coarsening exponent, 1/z, and the exponent defining the evolution of the characteristic wavelength of the surface, p, for depositions at 300 K amounted to = 1.00.1, = 0.40.1, 1/z= 0.340.03, and p= 0.490.03, whereas for depositions carried out at 873 K amounted to = 0.30.3, = 0.40.2, and 1/z= 0.00.2. Experimental error becomes important due to the flat morphology of the films inherent to the deposition technique. The change in the surface topography with the film temperature has been studied with the help of a simple Monte Carlo model which indicates the existence of two different growth regimes: a shadowing dominated growth, occurring at low temperatures, characterized by calculated values = 1.000.04, = 0.500.04, p= 0.460.01, and 1/z= 0.350.02 and a diffusion dominated growth that takes place at high temperatures as well as at low deposition rates, characterized by calculated values = 0.150.08, = 0.330.04, and 1/z= 0.330.07. The good agreement obtained between the experimental and simulated parameters is discussed within the frame of the general characteristics of the deposition method.Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México-PAPIIT-IN107808Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología de México-CONACyT-50203-FMinisterio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades de España-MAT 2007-65764, PIE 200960I132 y CONSOLIDER INGENIO 2010-CSD2008-00023Junta de Andalucía-TEP2275 y P07-FQM-0329

Docencia semipresencial en el Máster en Ingeniería Informática

En este artículo se describe el trabajo realizado por la red de investigación en docencia universitaria denominada “Docencia semipresencial en el Máster en Ingeniería Informática” y que ha pretendido trabajar en las diferentes asignaturas del Máster en Ingeniería Informática de la Universidad de Alicante con el fin de dotarlas de un carácter semipresencial de una forma coordinada e integrada. Se ha creado un grupo de trabajo dentro de la comisión académica del máster y se ha impulsado una colaboración estrecha entre los responsables de todas las asignaturas del Máster en Ingeniería Informática a la hora de usar todos los mecanismos necesarios para dotar a las respectivas asignaturas del carácter semipresencial. Ha sido muy importante el apoyo que se ha tenido del ICE en este sentido, por ejemplo mediante la solicitud y realización de un curso específico sobre bLearning

Measurement of the cosmic ray spectrum above 4×10184{\times}10^{18} eV using inclined events detected with the Pierre Auger Observatory

A measurement of the cosmic-ray spectrum for energies exceeding $4{\times}10^{18}$ eV is presented, which is based on the analysis of showers with zenith angles greater than $60^{\circ}$ detected with the Pierre Auger Observatory between 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2013. The measured spectrum confirms a flux suppression at the highest energies. Above $5.3{\times}10^{18}$ eV, the "ankle", the flux can be described by a power law $E^{-\gamma}$ with index $\gamma=2.70 \pm 0.02 \,\text{(stat)} \pm 0.1\,\text{(sys)}$ followed by a smooth suppression region. For the energy ($E_\text{s}$) at which the spectral flux has fallen to one-half of its extrapolated value in the absence of suppression, we find $E_\text{s}=(5.12\pm0.25\,\text{(stat)}^{+1.0}_{-1.2}\,\text{(sys)}){\times}10^{19}$ eV.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DO

Energy Estimation of Cosmic Rays with the Engineering Radio Array of the Pierre Auger Observatory

The Auger Engineering Radio Array (AERA) is part of the Pierre Auger Observatory and is used to detect the radio emission of cosmic-ray air showers. These observations are compared to the data of the surface detector stations of the Observatory, which provide well-calibrated information on the cosmic-ray energies and arrival directions. The response of the radio stations in the 30 to 80 MHz regime has been thoroughly calibrated to enable the reconstruction of the incoming electric field. For the latter, the energy deposit per area is determined from the radio pulses at each observer position and is interpolated using a two-dimensional function that takes into account signal asymmetries due to interference between the geomagnetic and charge-excess emission components. The spatial integral over the signal distribution gives a direct measurement of the energy transferred from the primary cosmic ray into radio emission in the AERA frequency range. We measure 15.8 MeV of radiation energy for a 1 EeV air shower arriving perpendicularly to the geomagnetic field. This radiation energy -- corrected for geometrical effects -- is used as a cosmic-ray energy estimator. Performing an absolute energy calibration against the surface-detector information, we observe that this radio-energy estimator scales quadratically with the cosmic-ray energy as expected for coherent emission. We find an energy resolution of the radio reconstruction of 22% for the data set and 17% for a high-quality subset containing only events with at least five radio stations with signal.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DO