Server glitch causes thousands of smart homes to unlock simultaneously
19 September 2022 - 15:46
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Futureworld brings you Mindbullets: News from the Future, to spark strategic thinking about leadership, innovation and digital disruption. These fictitious scenarios aim to challenge conventional mindsets and promote understanding of the future context for business.
September 20 2025
Thousands of smart homes simultaneously unlocked yesterday evening when servers at Home22C, a smart home app developer launched in 2024, “glitched”. According to company spokesperson Sara Monagham, the glitch was “unfortunate, but extremely rare”. Monagham assured Home22C clients that the cause of the error had been located, isolated and rectified.
“Our developers worked through the night to isolate and rectify the issue. I would like to assure our clients that this is a unique incident — nothing like this has ever happened before, nor will it again. Our clients’ safety and security are of paramount concern to us.”
Despite assurances regarding client “safety and security”, the glitch put thousands of homeowners at risk. Many have confirmed thefts during the affected period. Nick Welstein, a resident of Brookline, a suburb in Boston, Massachusetts, claimed more than $200,000 worth of valuables were taken from his property when, not only his home, but his smart safe as well, were opened to the public. Welstein was, unfortunately, not at home at the time of the incident. “Rest assured, I’ll be taking this further,” Welstein added. “Home22C can expect to hear from my lawyers as soon as we’ve finalised the inventory of missing items.”
Welstein is not the only client to lose high-value items. Another resident of one of the affected suburbs, who requested not to be named, said his Tesla Model X was stolen when his garage doors unlocked and opened onto the street. The car has since been recovered but had sustained about $70,000 in damages.
Home22C stock was hard hit by the incident, falling almost 30% in early trade. Monagham’s assurances did little to buoy the share price amid a backlash of legal proceedings. Welstein confirmed his insurer rejected his claim based on the home being “unlocked at the time of the theft”, which in terms of its policy wording voided his cover. Many other homeowners are in the same situation and recovery suits against Home22C are expected to mount.
Date published: September 15 2022
Smart home bug turns deadly
Homeowner dies as home automation system goes haywire
August 14 2018
It’s a dream gone horribly wrong. The automated, connected world was supposed to make our lives and our homes better, easier and safer. But now it’s turned into a dreadful nightmare.
Sure, there were plenty of minor glitches with early smart home systems. The vacuum cleaner switching on in the middle of the night. Electronic locks that wouldn’t open. Heating and air-conditioning playing up. Irritating, but hardly lethal.
Until now...
It seems the whole world has watched the morbidly riveting online video of Hugh Findlay’s brand-new, state-of-the-art home protection system going tragically wrong.
For some reason, as yet unknown, the automated guarding system failed to recognise Findlay when he returned home late last night. Mistaking him for an intruder, it fired a stun charge into his chest. It should have just knocked him out, but the system obviously did not know about his heart condition. He was dead by the time police and paramedics arrived.
CyberProGard, the developers of the system, are desperately scrabbling to unravel what went wrong, as their stock plummets. Meanwhile, the victim’s family has filed a billion-dollar lawsuit, and a federal judge has ordered that all CyberProGard security systems be suspended until further notice.
Many homeowners who installed similar systems from other vendors are switching these off too. It’s a major setback for the plethora of new companies offering endless smart home products, many of them in the security field. Perhaps a good, solid fence was all that was needed!
Date published: August 28 2014
• Despite appearances to the contrary, Futureworld cannot and does not predict the future. The Mindbullets scenarios are fictitious and designed purely to explore possible futures, and challenge and stimulate strategic thinking.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
NEWS FROM THE FUTURE: Open house for thieves
Server glitch causes thousands of smart homes to unlock simultaneously
Futureworld brings you Mindbullets: News from the Future, to spark strategic thinking about leadership, innovation and digital disruption. These fictitious scenarios aim to challenge conventional mindsets and promote understanding of the future context for business.
September 20 2025
Thousands of smart homes simultaneously unlocked yesterday evening when servers at Home22C, a smart home app developer launched in 2024, “glitched”. According to company spokesperson Sara Monagham, the glitch was “unfortunate, but extremely rare”. Monagham assured Home22C clients that the cause of the error had been located, isolated and rectified.
“Our developers worked through the night to isolate and rectify the issue. I would like to assure our clients that this is a unique incident — nothing like this has ever happened before, nor will it again. Our clients’ safety and security are of paramount concern to us.”
Despite assurances regarding client “safety and security”, the glitch put thousands of homeowners at risk. Many have confirmed thefts during the affected period. Nick Welstein, a resident of Brookline, a suburb in Boston, Massachusetts, claimed more than $200,000 worth of valuables were taken from his property when, not only his home, but his smart safe as well, were opened to the public. Welstein was, unfortunately, not at home at the time of the incident. “Rest assured, I’ll be taking this further,” Welstein added. “Home22C can expect to hear from my lawyers as soon as we’ve finalised the inventory of missing items.”
Welstein is not the only client to lose high-value items. Another resident of one of the affected suburbs, who requested not to be named, said his Tesla Model X was stolen when his garage doors unlocked and opened onto the street. The car has since been recovered but had sustained about $70,000 in damages.
Home22C stock was hard hit by the incident, falling almost 30% in early trade. Monagham’s assurances did little to buoy the share price amid a backlash of legal proceedings. Welstein confirmed his insurer rejected his claim based on the home being “unlocked at the time of the theft”, which in terms of its policy wording voided his cover. Many other homeowners are in the same situation and recovery suits against Home22C are expected to mount.
Smart home bug turns deadly
Homeowner dies as home automation system goes haywire
August 14 2018
It’s a dream gone horribly wrong. The automated, connected world was supposed to make our lives and our homes better, easier and safer. But now it’s turned into a dreadful nightmare.
Sure, there were plenty of minor glitches with early smart home systems. The vacuum cleaner switching on in the middle of the night. Electronic locks that wouldn’t open. Heating and air-conditioning playing up. Irritating, but hardly lethal.
Until now...
It seems the whole world has watched the morbidly riveting online video of Hugh Findlay’s brand-new, state-of-the-art home protection system going tragically wrong.
For some reason, as yet unknown, the automated guarding system failed to recognise Findlay when he returned home late last night. Mistaking him for an intruder, it fired a stun charge into his chest. It should have just knocked him out, but the system obviously did not know about his heart condition. He was dead by the time police and paramedics arrived.
CyberProGard, the developers of the system, are desperately scrabbling to unravel what went wrong, as their stock plummets. Meanwhile, the victim’s family has filed a billion-dollar lawsuit, and a federal judge has ordered that all CyberProGard security systems be suspended until further notice.
Many homeowners who installed similar systems from other vendors are switching these off too. It’s a major setback for the plethora of new companies offering endless smart home products, many of them in the security field. Perhaps a good, solid fence was all that was needed!
• Despite appearances to the contrary, Futureworld cannot and does not predict the future. The Mindbullets scenarios are fictitious and designed purely to explore possible futures, and challenge and stimulate strategic thinking.
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