Ethical Hacker Shows How Easy It Is to Break into a Garage Without a Key

That Button in Your Car Might Be Opening the Door for Hackers Too.
Image Credit: Newsmax/YouTube.

Every day, millions of homeowners rely on the convenience of garage door clickers, a small device that lets you enter your home with just one press. But as one recent investigation reveals, that convenience could come at a very high cost. A special report from Newsmax exposes a shocking vulnerability in the technology many of us trust without question.

Lieutenant Colonel Tony Shaffer introduced viewers to a chilling reality: the signals sent by these devices are not as secure as most homeowners believe.

Jason Mattera, a crime reporter for Newsmax, went hands-on with one of the world’s leading ethical hackers, Ryan Montgomery, to see just how easy it can be to bypass your garage door without leaving a trace. What they discovered may make you rethink how you secure your home.

Hacking for $170

Montgomery explained that the seemingly simple act of pressing a button in your car or on a handheld remote sends a signal to the garage door opener. That signal, he warned, can be captured, cloned, and reused by anyone with a modest setup.

That Button in Your Car Might Be Opening the Door for Hackers Too.
Image Credit: Newsmax/YouTube.

For just $170 and a bit of firmware sourced from the dark web, a person can intercept that signal and gain complete access to your garage. Mattera, who had never hacked anything before, experienced it firsthand.

The demonstration was eye-opening. Montgomery showed how he could capture a garage door signal instantly. With a few button presses, Mattera watched as the garage door opened without any forced entry, no broken locks, and no indication that the home had been accessed.

Unauthorized access into a family’s garage isn’t just an intrusion into a physical space; it was an invasion into personal life and safety.

“It is extremely dangerous,” Montgomery said. “People often trust their garage doors to protect their homes. That is not a good idea.” He stressed that the interior door connecting the garage to the rest of the house should be treated like the front door, locked at all times.

Mattera admitted that the experience had changed his own habits. He’s now making sure to keep that interior door locked after every visit home.

Beyond the Handheld Remote

The vulnerability is not limited to handheld clickers. Modern cars that come equipped with garage door functionality built in, along with keypads located outside homes, also transmit signals that can be intercepted.

That Button in Your Car Might Be Opening the Door for Hackers Too.
Image Credit: Newsmax/YouTube.

Each point of access increases the potential exposure, giving hackers multiple opportunities to enter a property undetected.

Montgomery’s demonstration highlighted how even small, everyday conveniences can carry hidden risks. The ease with which someone could gain access is a reminder that technology designed for comfort can ultimately undermine security.

While it may be tempting to rely solely on these devices, Mattera and Montgomery emphasized that simple precautions, such as locking the interior door and monitoring entry points, can make a significant difference.

That Button in Your Car Might Be Opening the Door for Hackers Too.
Image Credit: Newsmax/YouTube.

Beyond garage doors, Mattera hinted at other vulnerabilities in modern technology that quietly leave homeowners exposed. Future reports promise to explore these risks further, shedding light on how everyday devices can be exploited if proper security measures are not followed.

For now, this this eye-opening investigation proves that even the smallest device can carry significant risk. Convenience should not come at the expense of safety.

 

Take a moment to review your garage and home security, double-check locks, and treat every point of entry with the same level of caution you would afford your front door. A simple click can open more than a garage; it can open the door to potential danger if you are not careful.

Note: This article contains embedded video. Embedded media may not display on all platforms. The video is available on our website here.

Author: Philip Uwaoma

A bearded car nerd with 7+ million words published across top automotive and lifestyle sites, he lives for great stories and great machines. Once a ghostwriter (never again), he now insists on owning both his words and his wheels. No dog or vintage car yet—but a lifelong soft spot for Rolls-Royce.

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