Monday Security Tip

I Tried to Hack My Own Security System — Here's What I Found

I spent a weekend attempting to defeat my own home security setup the way an intruder would. Three vulnerabilities I didn't expect, and how I fixed each one.

Master Sgt. James D. Harwell (Ret.)· Monday, January 26, 2026 · 6 min read

U.S. Army Special Forces, 22 Years Service | Security Consultant

Key Takeaway: The weaknesses in most home security systems are not technical — they are procedural gaps that only show up when you actively test your own setup.

Why I Did This

I've advised on physical security for two decades. But there's a difference between knowing theory and knowing your own home. Last fall I set aside a weekend to probe my own setup the same way I'd assess a client's property — fresh eyes, attacker mindset, no assumptions.

I found three things I didn't expect. None required sophisticated equipment. All were fixable in a day.

Vulnerability 1: The Camera Dead Zone

I walked my perimeter at dusk and identified a path from the back fence to the rear door that was never in frame — not because I didn't have cameras, but because the garage overhang blocked the angle I thought was covered.

I confirmed it by reviewing footage after walking the path myself: nothing. A motivated intruder doing a five-minute walk-by would find this in one pass.

Fix: Repositioned one camera two feet to the left. Full coverage restored. The lesson: cameras pointed at a general area are not the same as cameras with verified coverage. Walk your own path on camera and watch the footage.

Vulnerability 2: The Side Gate Sensor Gap

My alarm system had sensors on every door and window — but not on the side gate. The gate opens silently, has no sensor, and leads directly to the rear of the property. An intruder could reach my back door without triggering anything.

Fix: Added a SimpliSafe door sensor to the gate (they work on gates — magnet mount, no wiring). Now any gate open triggers the entry chime and, in armed mode, a full alarm.

Vulnerability 3: Wi-Fi Camera Authentication

I checked my camera app login. Default username, password I hadn't changed since installation three years ago, no two-factor authentication enabled. I looked up my camera model — the default credentials were published on the manufacturer's support page, publicly accessible.

Anyone on my network who knew the camera brand could have accessed the live feed.

Fix: Changed username and password on all cameras. Enabled two-factor authentication. Put cameras on an IoT-only VLAN separated from the main network. A dedicated router like the TP-Link ER605 makes this straightforward.

What the Exercise Taught Me

None of these were exotic vulnerabilities. They were gaps that formed over time — a camera installed fast, a gate added later, a password never updated. The system looked complete. It wasn't.

Spend two hours walking your property with an attacker's questions: Where can I approach unseen? What doesn't trigger an alarm? What can I access with default credentials? That exercise is worth more than any new gear you can buy.