Gidon Sattinger - Australian Hotels Association

Units 1 & 3, 14 Salisbury Road , Hornsby NSW 2077
PH: (02) 9472 2000 FAX: (02) 9472 2020
www.vintech.com.au
Specialists in Integrated solutions for the Hotel, Lodging and Accommodation industry and distributors of
Saflok & Ilco by Kaba, Hotel Locking Systems, Secure DCS by JSH, In-Room Safes & Indel-B “Class A” Minibars
To Whom It May Concern,
On the 6 o’clock news on the 12 th August, 2010 Channel 7 aired a segment sensationally called “Security Threat” where the
immediate assumption was that Hotels would face expensive upgrades due to the ‘Lock Shock” they were about to expose.
Channel 7 showed an electronic lock allegedly being opened using a mobile telephone combined with a Magstripe keycard
from another room. Reference is made that this is an expose at a Sydney Four Star hotel, and yet two lock types are shown
being hacked – System 700 Ilco by Kaba magnetic swipe lock and a lock of another brand. As we all well know in our
industry, seldom does a Hotel have different locks in one entity, so immediately most Hoteliers will already be questioning
the authenticity and neutrality of the report.
In our opinion the action displayed is impossible for several reasons:
• A Mag-stripe lock will open only when it receives encoded information which is delivered via the reader to the PCB
by encrypted information on the black stripe on the magnetic card. A solenoid or a motor inside the lock responds
only after the intelligent processing of this encrypted information. No other means will open Mag-stripe locks
electronically.
• Before the lock can open, it writes the card information into its memory. If this information is anything but correct,
the lock will deny access and will not open the door. The Ilco lock reflects this intelligent processing with indicator
lights. No such lights were displayed on the Ilco lock in the segment when the mobile phone was in touch with the
lock, showing that there was no activation of the lock in any way.
• On the Ilco 700 lock, the magnetic stripe on the card has to face inwards (i.e. towards the door) so that the
encrypted information can be read and assessed by the PCB to “wake-up” the lock. In the segment the card was
inserted back to front – the magnetic stripe on the card faced the user, meaning that the inserted card had no
bearing on the alleged mobile transmission of electromagnetism, making it impossible for the lock to “wake-up” and
receive a signal or information. In our opinion, the opening of the lock under these circumstances was a hoax as
they do not demonstrate the process of the sequence of events required for the opening of the door.
• Both the magnetic stripe and the plastic card are made from non-conductive materials, thus making the scenario
that “The Gadget Guy” explains as “transmitting a current” to the lock scientifically impossible.
• “The Gadget Guy” also maintains that the electro-magnetic field of the phone is what activates the lock when the
card is in the reader. According to the Kaba Lodging Systems’ Product Manager & Engineering in Montreal, this is
also not possible because the electromagnetic field would be blocked by the zinc lock housing. The System 700
lock is designed to withstand electro magnetic attacks of any nature and testing is ongoing and extensive as per the
UL & BHMA certification these locks hold.
• We attempted to duplicate the scenario with the exact lock and exact mobile in our Workshop throughout the day.
We did it with the card the right way around and the wrong way around as per the segment. We even called the
mobile to “boost” the signal. None of our many attempts successfully hacked into the lock. Our principal in Montreal
also tried the experiment, as did several customers who called us throughout the day – also to no avail and most
certainly quashing the claim that this is “one of the best kept secrets of all time!”
In keeping with sensationalist television and the hyperbole associated with this kind of nonsense tabloid TV words such
as “shock waves” through the industry and “security threat” can safely be ignored. Some of the claims from those
interviewed have possibly been taken out of context, as clearly, there is NO need for an “immediate and thorough
review of the locking systems”.
In the Hospitality industry, although many hotels are budgeting for and installing new technology locks such as RFID
and the Messenger System by Saflok, currently about 90% of our industry throughout the world still have Mag-stripe
locks. The Ilco 700 lock shown in the segment is 15 years old and has withstood the test of time, and no doubt many
failed attempts worldwide to breach their security. So, regarding the comment that “thousands of Hotel rooms ...could be
affected” the reasons cited above show that this will not be necessary. Hoteliers can have complete confidence in their
magnetic swipe electronic locks and do nothing!
Regarding the memorandum distributed by AHA prior to this segment, there was mention made of the introduction of
“legitimate” mobile phone access at the Holiday Inn Chain in the USA. This technology has been developed and
currently tested by Saflok / Kaba USA and will shortly be available in Australia from Vintech system. The aim of this
technology known as “Open Ways” is to speed up the processing of remote checking while maintaining High security
and saving costs on lost cards by the hotels. This industry solution is introduced to close the gap while NFC (Near Field
Communication) technology with the new RFID locks becomes widely available in Australia.
Regards,
Gidon Sattinger
Managing Director

Aug 24, 2010
To: All of our customers
Subject: Locks override in Channel 7 Australia program
Dear Sir/Madam:
We can assure you that the locks shown in the television report are not
VingCard or TimeLox locks.
We have tested all of our locks to make sure that they cannot be compromised using
the methods shown in the report.
Please contact us if you would like more information.
Arnon Alexander
Executive Vice President
R&D
ASSA ABLOY Hospitality Inc.
(404) 219-2800
aalexander@aahgroup.com
An ASSA ABLOY company 631 International Pkwy Suit 100 Richardson TX 75081