August Home

August, Inc is a San Francisco home automation company, focusing on Wi-Fi connected door locks and doorbell cameras. The company was founded in November 2012 by Yves Béhar and Jason Johnson.

August, Inc.
TypeSubsidiary
IndustryHome automation
FoundedNovember 2012 (2012-11)
Key people
Jason Johnson (Co-founder and chief executive officer)
Yves Béhar (Co-founder and chief creative officer)
ProductsAugust Smart Lock
August Doorbell Cam
August Smart Keypad
August Connect
August App
ParentAssa Abloy
Websiteaugust.com

On October 19, 2017, Swedish lock manufacturer Assa Abloy announced an acquisition of August Home.[1] The deal closed in December 2017.[2]

As of July 2018, August Home had sold over one million smart locks and cameras.[3]

Products

In May 2013, August released their first smart lock.[4] The lock had a metal frame and was controlled using Bluetooth 4.0 with a smartphone app.[5] As with other August door locks, the device clips on to an existing deadbolt on the inside portion of a door, still allowing the use of a traditional key.[6] A Wi-Fi bridge was later released allowing remote access to the lock, and the use of virtual assistants (such as Amazon Alexa).[7]

In October 2015, the company debuted a suite of new products including a second generation smart lock, a smart doorbell, and a keypad for users without a phone.[8] The company also announced August Access, a platform to let couriers from Postmates, Handy, and other services get access to the lock through a one time code.[9] The service was later expanded to include Walmart in select U.S. markets.[10] A HomeKit compatible version of the lock was also released the following year.[11]

A cheaper version of the smart lock was released in 2017, along with a Z-Wave compatible version designed for professional installation.[12] The new locks also added motion sensors to know whether the door is open or closed.[13]

The August Access platform expanded to include locks for Yale and Emtek in January 2018.[14]

Security concerns

In August 2016, a white-hat hacker showcased a vulnerability with August's one-time access codes allowing someone to use them once expired at DEF CON.[15] The company patched the issue later that month.[16] MIT conducted further research on potential vulnerabilities in the security of the device. They attempted accessing the device using multiple methods, none of which were successful. The methods they tested were the following: password attack, “I’m Not Listening” attacks, changing date and time settings, snooping Bluetooth packages, decompiling the app, sniffing TCP packets, man-in-the-middle attacks, and retrieving owner permissions offline keys. Out of all of these attempts, only one was theoretically plausible. By snooping Bluetooth packets, persons with malicious intent could attempt a “brute force” method by guessing the ciphertext necessary to unlock the door. However, the chance of guessing this combination of bits is one in over 18.4 quintillion, and the time required to attempt all sequences is projected to be over four years.[17]

References
  1. Balakrishnan, Anita; Haselton, Todd (19 October 2017). "August Home, a hot Silicon Valley smart home start-up, acquired by the company that makes Yale locks". CNBC. Archived from the original on 31 October 2017. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
  2. Sawers, Paul (5 December 2017). "How Assa Abloy's August acquisition could unlock in-home deliveries globally". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on 7 December 2017. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  3. Potuck, Michael (18 July 2018). "August touts 1 million smart lock and door bell camera customers since 2013". 9to5Mac. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  4. O'Brien, Terrence (29 May 2013). "August: the beautiful, Yves Behar-designed $199 smart lock". Engadget. Archived from the original on 6 December 2017. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
  5. Chang, Alexandra (29 May 2013). "Your Phone is the Key to the New August Smart Lock". Wired. Archived from the original on 6 December 2017.
  6. Wasserman, Todd (30 May 2013). "Use Your Phone to Open Your Door with the August Smart Lock". Mashable. Archived from the original on 6 December 2017. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
  7. O'Brien, Terrence (1 July 2015). "August Connect adds internet connectivity to its smart lock". Engadget. Archived from the original on 6 December 2017. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
  8. Clover, Juli (14 October 2015). "August Announces New Smart Lock With HomeKit Integration". MacRumors. Archived from the original on 6 December 2017. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
  9. Olanoff, Drew (14 October 2015). "August Debuts Three Products And Its Partner Platform 'August Access'". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on 19 September 2017. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
  10. Newman, Peter (25 September 2017). "Walmart and August are teaming up to leverage smart locks for deliveries". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 6 December 2017. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
  11. Delaney, John R. (14 June 2016). "August Smart Lock HomeKit Enabled". PC Magazine. Archived from the original on 16 August 2017. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
  12. Vanian, Jonathan (19 September 2017). "August Debuts Cheaper Smart Locks for the Masses". Fortune. Archived from the original on 24 October 2017. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
  13. Kelly, Heather (19 September 2017). "New August smart locks know who's coming and going". CNNMoney. Archived from the original on 6 December 2017. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
  14. Price, Molly (9 January 2018). "August Access expands home delivery service with Deliv". CNET. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 9 January 2018. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  15. Mills, Chris (11 August 2016). "Researchers find 'smart' door locks are easy to hack, surprising no one". BGF. Archived from the original on 6 December 2017. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
  16. Wollerton, Megan (25 August 2016). "Here's what happened when someone hacked the August Smart Lock". CNET. Archived from the original on 6 December 2017. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
  17. Fuller, Megan; Jenkins, Madeline; Tjølsen, Katrine (May 24, 2017). "Security Analysis of the August Smart Lock" (PDF). Massachusetts Institute of Technology — 6.857: 1–17. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
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