Easily Hack your low frequency 125Khz Access Control fobs

Copy or Clone 125Khz Access Cards and Key Fobs

Customers who are using legacy technologies and communications protocols that are 10, 20 or 30 years old are now facing issues that are currently being discussed across the security community.

Vulnerabilities based on cloning or copying 125 kHz Proximity credentials and legacy smart cards – an issue that affects first-generation smart cards and all proximity cards from any vendor.

Users of Wiegand, proximity credentials and legacy smart cards, however, have effective alternatives that are readily available to eliminate the risk of these vulnerabilities. Understanding upgrade options is key.

You might have heard of random people hacking electronic access control systems. The tools that claim to do this are available widely for just $30. We bought one of these, shown below:

A reader, like the one seen here, can easily copy the ID of an existing 125khz or a similar type of protocol chip, and copy it to another card or fob.

Below is video on how to operate the device.

Despite the risks of unsecured 125 kHz cards and fobs, they are commonly used and even preferred by many installers and end users. Those are the security companies we should stay away from.

How do I prevent this?

The true purpose of this post is to educate. Now that we know the vulnerabilities of the existing technology, let’s talk about how we can defend against threats.

Contactless Smart Card Technology : - As opposed to the 125 kHz, smart cards use 13.56-MHz. Its embedded integrated circuits provide state-of-the-art cryptography for mutual authentication and data encryption. Unlike proximity cards, the communication between the card and the reader is encrypted and secure. We use the amazing SEOS technology. These cards can also be used to exchange data and are great for logical access control.

Mobile Access:- This option is our favorite. Smartphones are rapidly replacing access cards in the security industry. We are at the forefront of this movement. Mobile cards are easy to assign, monitor, and revoke in real time. They can not be copied or duplicated. And let’s face it, are you more likely to share your key card for the day or your phone? From a security and convenience standpoint, mobile access is second to none.

Easily Hack your low frequency 125Khz Access Control fobs

Copy or Clone 125Khz Access Cards and Key Fobs

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